


Abbreviation

by GingerEl



Series: Phonetics [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Affectionate Noctis, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, But also, Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor pining, No Beta, Pining, Prompto thinks in dashes and italics, Road Trips, Semi-Public Sex, hunts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:02:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21778000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerEl/pseuds/GingerEl
Summary: “Her or Cindy?” Noct prods.“Aranea or Cindy? Oh. Wow. Okay - uh,” Prompto makes a noise, like he’s torn and trying to decide, “Let me think about this for a sec.”"I’ve no doubt both of them can wait,” Ignis teases.Prompto doesn’t need time to think though, not at all. The choice is easy to make. Neither.Because neither of them are Noctis.Alternatively: Noctis comes out on the road trip and Prompto's world changes forever.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Phonetics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569541
Comments: 19
Kudos: 314





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guys! You were all so nice about my last fic that I felt really encouraged to keep going and post more. Thank you! That being said sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and I can't bat my anxiety away enough to respond to everyone but I read and appreciate them all (/ω＼).
> 
> This is set in the canon universe but I fudged some timelines to give my boys more time together. Enjoy!

“So which one is it?”

Prompto startles, looking away from where he’d been distracted watching Noct clamber over a waist high fence.

“Which one is what?”

“Her or Cindy?” Noct prods.

“Aranea or Cindy? Oh. Wow. Okay - uh,” Prompto makes a noise, like he’s torn and trying to decide, “Let me think about this for a sec.”

“I’ve no doubt both of them can wait,” Ignis teases.

Prompto doesn’t need time to think though, not at all. The choice is easy to make. Neither.

An infatuation with Cindy is a really good way to hide an infatuation that burns elsewhere and Aranea is so impressive that he hardly needs to alter his tone at all when he talks about her to convince the guys he’s head over heels for her too.

It makes it really easy to pretend he’s not gay

Not that being _gay_ is a problem. At least he doesn’t think so. But if he reveals that titbit of information then it’s just a slippery slide down into really revealing how he feels.

How he feels about his best friend.

How he feels about the _Prince of Lucis_.

“Prom?” Noct calls, “Are you coming or what?”

Prompto slips into his best smile. It’s better to hide behind a lie that ensures no one ever even suspects what he’s really hiding.

“Right behind you!”

-

“No way,” Prompto says in disbelief, staring at the hunt flier in his hand in dismay.

“They’re causing quite the nuisance,” Ignis says, “And they do quite some damage when riled.”

“Yeah, but -”

Garula are kind of cute. To Prompto at least. And last time they’d passed a herd they’d just let them walk right through without turning even the tiniest bit aggressive.

“Least there’ll be good eating for a while,” Gladio offers and he reaches to scuff up Prompto’s hair as he moves past on the way to the Regalia.

“Hey!” Prompto squawks.

Noctis knocks him gently with his shoulder.

“Bet if you bat those eyelashes enough Iggy’ll turn the spoils into that pie you like so much,” Noct tells him.

“I can _hear_ you,” Ignis calls from the Regalia.

Noctis grins, “And how many eyelash bats is it gonna take.”

Prompto can’t actually hear Ignis’ sigh but he knows its there all the same.

“One or two should suffice I suppose.”

Prompto feels a little guilty about how nice that sounds what with all the extra work Ignis is going to have to do but he squashes it and all but skips along to the car.

“You’re the absolute best, Iggy, have I ever told you,” Prompto enthuses as he hops over the closed door into his seat beaming, “Total top dude, would friend again.”

Ignis smiles and adjusts his glasses.

“That’s enough of that now,” Ignis chides but he looks pleased.

“Nah, I don’t think it is,” Noct says also climbing into the car.

“You two are cleaning the leather before we camp tonight,” Ignis says idly even as Prompto twists in his seat to grin at Noct.

“I think you’re right, we should all just tell Iggy how great he is _all_ day,” Prompto suggests.

Gladio laughs.

“I like how spiky his hair is,” Noctis says.

“Uh huh, and his shoes are _always_ shiny,” Prompto adds.

“Alright,” Ignis says and Prompto’s pleased to see how his cheeks are a little pink.

“Oh man, how about him driving at _exactly_ the speed limit all the time,” Noctis muses.

Prompto turns around to give Gladio a pointed look.

“Well I like how he’s totally gonna stab you if you two clowns don’t cut this out,” Gladio offers.

Prompto pouts at him, “You’re no fun.”

“I’m the most fun,” Gladio argues, “See.” He reaches out to the side and grips Noct in a headlock and brutally messing up his hair. Noctis whines and pounds ineffectually at the bulk of Gladio’s arms.

“That’s better,” Ignis says smugly.

-

It starts raining about three minutes after they park the car, of course, and start heading towards the area marked on their map. Slowly the ground turns into a slick, slippery death trap beneath their shoes.

The garula are all gathered by a small building and Prompto supposes that’s where the problem starts. That and as soon as the herd hear them approach they get restless. A large one - a garulessa - pokes itself out of the group and the next thing they know they’re being charged on all sides.

Gladio digs his shield into the ground and manages to absorb the initial impact, knocking the beast to the ground. As always they die quickly when Prompto sinks a few rounds into them. Prompto doesn’t have the chance to feel bad about it this time before he’s having to leap haphazardly out of the way of the next one that comes barrelling his way.

Rolling back he focuses on damaging them in the legs, making easier targets for his more hands on friends. One slides almost neatly to a halt by Ignis and the adviser dispatches it gracefully.

In a smash of blue light Noctis warps strikes a few feet away from him, with a resounding crack one of the garulessa’s horns falls away and she staggers unevenly onto her side. Prompto unleashes bullets into her while Noctis is still in the air, catching the uneven way the Prince lands just in the edge of his periphery.

Noctis stumbles a little as he rises, slipping in the mud. Not sensing any immediate danger around them Prompto trots the short distance to give him a hand up.

“Thanks, bud,” Noctis says and he claps Prompto on the shoulder when he’s upright, not dropping Prompto’s hand right away.

“Noct!” Gladio calls and even as Noct turns his head to see what he wants Prompto hears it, the wet grumbling snuffle of a lumbering garula.

Prompto grasps Noctis more fully by the hand and tugs him forwards and sideways. In the shock and surprise Noct goes tumbling towards the ground and the momentum means Prompto is all but flung into the space Noctis just left.

The garula hits him in the side at full force and Prompto goes _flying_ , he cries out just as he hits the floor which is unfortunate because it means he manages to bring in a mouth full of mud. He slides almost comically on the wet earth until he hits a tree, at which point he feels incapable of doing anything other than hunch himself over into a slightly smaller target.

“Prompto!” he hears somebody yell just before the familiar crack of Noct’s warp strike. The garula makes a mess of noises as it goes down and Prompto’s kind of glad about it.

Gladio makes a grunt of exertion and the sound is followed by the sickening noise of his sword cleaving through flesh and bone.

Something touches his shoulder.

“Prompto,” Ignis says gently, “Can you move?”

Prompto _can_ move it just hurts like fuck to do so.

He pushes himself up on his hands and Ignis very carefully supports his back and shoulders while tries to move into a sitting position.

“Noct,” Prompto gasps, winded from the collision, “Gladio - Ignis you should be -” He breaks off coughing.

“They’re all but done,” Ignis says, “Here, carefully, lean against the tree now.”

Prompto does, wincing when his back presses against the rough texture of the bark and Ignis helps him scoot forward an inch.

Duscae falls silent for one blissful second before the world just to his right explodes in snap of blue magic and Noctis materialises at his side.

“Are you alright?” Noctis demands.

Immediately, and a little too roughly if Prompto’s forced to be honest - Noctis touches his shoulder and neck, moving to cradle his face and get a good look at him. After a long stare Noctis lets go with one hand to summons a potion.

Prompto doesn’t keep quite as good a track of their inventory as Ignis does but he’s fairly certain they’ve only got three potions left. And if he is wrong its because they’ve got even _less_ than that.

Nothings broken, Prompto can tell, he’s bruised and battered and he’s going to need just a little time to fully catch his breath but it’s nothing that won’t heal up naturally over a few days.

Noctis presses the vial into his hand and Prompto shakes his head dismissing it back into the armiger.

“Prom,” Noctis says and the vial appears once more.

“I’m fine,” Prompto manages to say, voice just a little short, breath catching between words, “We’re running low, someone might need it for something more important.”

Noctis shakes his head and presses it into his hand again, “This is important enough.”

“Ignis,” Prompto says and he turns his head to look up at him beseechingly. Ignis always sees logical sense.

Ignis surveys him for a long moment then reaches out to press rather firmly into his shoulder and upper back, then rotate the shoulder where he took impact.

It hurts but Prompto manages to keep his reaction down to a wince and not cry out. This seems to have been a wise choice as Ignis nods decisively at the reaction.

“If you’re really sure we are rather over due a restock to our supplies,” Ignis concedes, “However I don’t want you to suffer unnecessarily, so please take it if you need it.”

“I’m fine,” Prompto repeats and his voice is a little stronger.

Prompto looks up at the sky as a way to avoid the disgruntled look on Noct’s face and notices that the edges are just starting to turn pink with the sunset.

“Can we go back to camp?” Prompto asks, thinking they probably earned an early finish to the day. Or _he_ has at the very least.

“Of course,” Ignis agrees at once, “I’ll take you back and help get you cleaned up while Noctis and Gladio harvest some meat and gather proof of our successful hunt.”

Noctis makes a noise of dissent. “Let me take him back,” Noctis insists.

Ignis shakes his head, “I rather think its better if I do it.”

It turns out to _definitely_ be better that Ignis takes him Prompto quickly discovers as he needs more help than he would have been willing to ask Noctis for and even then feels really bad about Ignis having to do it. _He_ isn't the Prince of Lucis, babying Prompto like this is not in Ignis' job description. 

He hurts more than he thought he did, achy and feeble in a way that makes him feel more useless than a two day old anak. He’s exhausted and starving by the time they climb up onto the haven, but he mostly puts that down to the adrenaline crash.

At least the rain stops on their approach and the tent is already set up from last night. Small mercies.

Ignis heats up a bucket of water over the fire and then helps him scrub the worst of the mud off his skin where its caked on against his ever exposed arms and actually just full on washes his hair for him, sitting him down at the edge of the haven, hidden behind the tent, and leaning his head back slightly so the dirty water drips away over side.

“Prom?” Noctis calls while Prompto is still stripped to his boxers shivering slightly and unsteady on his feet attempting to get his legs into his pyjamas.

“Stay there,” Ignis calls and moving to more succinctly block Prompto’s body from anyone that might move around the edge of the tent. It’s odd, because Prompto’s gotten mostly used to the guys seeing him in various stages of undress and seeing them in turn so it shouldn’t really be a big deal for them to see him again _now_. But for some reason it _is_ , maybe because Prompto is battered and bruised, embarrassed from hitting the ground so hard and feeling anxious and exposed because of it.

Ignis must realise this too. He's so incredibly observant it's almost hilariously intimidating.

Noctis groans in frustration and then there’s a clatter like he’s kicked something. The now empty bucket, perhaps.

“A more useful thing to do with that bucket would be to refill it with water,” Ignis says loudly.

“Whatever,” Prompto hears Noctis say but then there’s a scrape and Prompto knows he’s picked it up.

“That order to stay away apply to me too?” Gladio says.

Prompto feels his eyes widen in alarm but Ignis just says, “Yes, please,” and goes back to helping Prompto into his clothes.

“I have some civilian grade painkillers you can have once you’ve eaten,” Ignis promises, “And we’ve gotten finished early enough I’ll have time to make those meat pies for you after all.”

“Thanks, Iggy,” Prompto says, smiling in earnest.

Prompto patters out from behind the tent in his pyjamas and socked feet to let his his boots can dry out ready to have the dirt knocked off them in the morning.

The bucket is back over the fire, steaming gently and Noctis is sat cross legged before it, looking a little grubby but not too bad, hacking up what seems to be a large flat sheet of ice with Ignis’ favourite cleaver.

“So disrespectful,” Ignis mutters, but allows him to continue.

“You wash up next, Iggy,” Gladio says, “Before you start dinner.”

Ignis doesn’t look too bad either, just a bit of mud on his knees where he’d knelt to help Prompto but he nods his ascent anyway and moves away to the vague privacy the space behind the tent affords with the water bucket.

“How are you?” Noctis asks Prompto and he makes an aborted movement like he was going to get to his feet.

Prompto moves to his side and settles down, Noctis reaches out with his hand to steady him, his fingertips icy cold.

“Been better,” Prompto admits, “But also a butt tonne worse. So not _too_ bad.”

They _all_ had worse. Gladio had once taken a kick from a dualhorn so squarely that Prompto has _heard_ his leg snap from across the field and just last week Ignis had gotten hit by a poison so bad that even after they’d administered an antidote Noctis had needed to take over driving for the day so he could recover in the back seat. And Prompto goes down _a lot_.

Like a lot a lot.

Noctis just frowns and goes back to hacking the ice into pieces.

“I made you some ice,” Noctis explains, “But I’m not a luxury refrigerator so I can’t just make a bag of cubes. Hence.” He gestures a little wildly with the cleaver to demonstrate his point and the quickly chips off a few more pieces.

Noctis gathers up these pieces into a towel draped over his knee then turns and presses it onto Prompto’s back. He twists his body to sit closer to Prompto, knee pressing into his thigh and the warmth of his body all but blanketing Prompto on one side.

“Where does it hurt most?” he asks.

“A little more towards the centre,” Prompto admits, “But honestly dude, don’t sweat about it.”

“Of course I’m gonna sweat about it,” Noctis mutters.

He shifts the ice and Prompto sighs a little at the relief it brings. They sit together in silence for a moment; Ignis cleaning up and Gladio doing push ups on the other side of the haven.

“I _hate_ this,” Noctis murmurs.

“What?”

“That you got hurt for me. I never want you to get hurt, not ever,” Noctis explain, sounding distraught.

“Dude, you know it’s my _job_ right. I’m here for _both_ comic relief and royal protection duty.”

Noctis huffs. “I hate it.”

“Better me than you,” Prompto says.

Noctis scowls, “That’s _your_ opinion, sure.”

“Noct,” Ignis calls, reappearing, “Go clean up now.”

But Noctis will only go when Gladio agrees to sit and hold the ice onto Prompto’s shoulder while he’s gone.

“You don’t need to,” Prompto tells the Big Guy as soon as Noctis is out of view.

Gladio just shrugs with the shoulder attached to his free hand.

“That’s gotta sting like a fucker,” Gladio says, then adds, “You did a good job today.”

“Thanks,” Prompto says quietly.

“Sleep on your belly tonight,” Gladio advises.

And yeah.

No _shit_.

-

A relentless drizzle starts up again as soon as they settle into the tent and a chill seems to sink deep into Prompto’s bones. He lies awake for a really long time, staring at Noctis' face in the dim light, long dark eyelashes brushing his delicate features, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Prompto shifts, trying to curl into a warmer ball in his sleeping bag like he’s used to, but the movement pulls something across his shoulder and he gasps quietly into the tent.

Noctis’ eyes pop open.

“You okay?” he whispers.

Prompto’s not the best whisperer so he merely nods.

“Can’t sleep?” Noctis prods.

Prompto shakes his head and as quietly as he can, admits, “Cold.”

The body on the other side of Noctis shifts rolling over and then Ignis is sitting up to shuffle closer to them, he shoves Noct lightly.

“Scoot up,” Ignis says and then Noctis is sliding carefully up to Prompto’s side pressing his body carefully along the length of Prompto’s.

Noctis jerks slightly and says ‘oof’ as Ignis settles. “Apologies,” Ignis mutters sleepily, a little louder he says, “Gladio, bunch up, it’s freezing in here.”

Gladio shifts and Prompto feels his warmth too, permeating his other side even though he doesn’t slide quite as close as Noctis. There’s some overlap in the fabric of their sleeping bags but unlike with Noct Prompto can’t feel the vague shape of his body against his own.

Noctis shifts even closer, clearly trying not to put to much of his weight against Prompto but making it so they might as well be sharing a pillow.

“Better?” Noctis asks and his eyes are already drooping sleepily.

Prompto smiles and nods, “Thanks.”

Prompto’s not sure he’ll be able to sleep anyway not with such an unfettered and uninterrupted view of his best friends face so close and the pleasant feel of his body beside him. But in the end Prompto falls asleep before he counts sixty-two of Noct’s breaths.

\- - -

“That’s the yellowtooths - yellowteeth? - taken care of,” Prompto says brightly, “What’s next Iggy?”

Ignis briefly peruses his notebook then looks up, surveying Prompto closely.

Prompto squirms under the scrutiny, “What?” he asks defensively.

Noctis comes up to his side and briefly touches the small of his back.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Prompto says reflexively at once.

He’s been hanging back more than usual, taking shots from a distance like he’s supposed to considering he’s currently without the strength he needs to pull out his auto crossbow or bioblaster. He’s been fine though, he thinks, helpful and managing not to fall down even once today.

Sure Prompto hurts but it’s manageable. He neither needs nor wants a fuss made of him.

“Prom,” Noctis says quietly, “For real.”

“I’m fine,” Prompto stresses, “Seriously, dude, lets go.”

“There’s not much on the agenda for the rest of the afternoon,” Ignis says, “There are merely some interesting items and resources to procure and then we can head to the nearest settlement.”

“With a _motel_?” Noctis says hopefully.

“With a motel,” Ignis agrees, “Once we’ve handed in these hunts we’ll have plenty in the coffers to restock our supplies and spend a night with real beds.”

“And showers,” Prompto says dreamily, “I’m so gross, guys.”

Noctis scoffs.

“The hunts have curatives as rewards right?” Prompto checks, “So we’ll be well stocked for a while?”

Maybe Prompto will take one after all, if they manage to hand in the hunts before bed time.

Ignis nods. “Certainly. Now, who wants one of these sandwiches before we head out?”

-

The area they’re in seems clear of beasts and monsters so they split off to collect supplies with Prompto being sent up and over a hill to collect some garlic and dig into a mineral deposit. Unfortunately they already have a tonne of the shards he manages to gather but he _is_ trying to convince Noct to let Cindy paint the Regalia pink, just for a little while, and the extra shards certainly can’t hurt with that.

From the top of the hill Prompto has a really nice wide shot of the lake and, well, he’s not the type of photographer that lets an opportunity like this just pass him by.

Prompto trots down the hill, careful not to jostle himself too much and finding flat ground again in a small copse of trees and tall scrubby bushes. Heading in the direction of their meeting point Prompto slows when he hears Noctis voice.

“Iggy, can we - do you think?”

Prompto doesn’t want to eavesdrop but he also knows _Noct_ and knows when he wants - _needs_ \- to talk about something. He’s so easily spooked away from sharing his feelings that Prompto dare not interrupt now. Who knows how long Noctis has been bottling up? Prompto comes to complete stop and crouches so he’s completely hidden behind the bush. He doesn’t peer round to look at them, at least, and he can at least pretend he’s not listening that way. That’s something.

“What is it Noct?” Ignis says and Prompto knows Ignis has picked up on his tone too.

“Do I still - with the treaty being a sham and everything that Ardyn said - do I still have to marry Luna?”

Prompto blinks. Why would Noctis _not_ want to marry Luna? Prompto doesn’t exactly _get it_ but she’s beautiful and kind and _exactly_ the kind of person that should sit beside Noctis on his throne. Carry his _heirs_.

Prompto's not jealous - he's _not_ \- it's not like he'd have a chance anyway, even without the arrangement. 

“I believe it may still be for the best, yes,” Ignis tells him, “I’m so sorry.”

“But she’s - she’s not who I want,” Noctis insists.

“I _know_.”

They fall silent for a while and Prompto reels from the information. Who on earth _could_ Noctis want if not Lady Lunafreya? Who even comes close to that?

“I’m sure when you meet again the two of you will be able to come to an understanding,” Ignis says and -

Woah.

Prompto’s not the sharpest tool in the box but that _totally_ sounds like Ignis is suggesting Noctis talks to his future queen about him keeping a _mistress_.

Wild.

“That’s not what I want either,” Noctis complains, “That’s not fair to anyone.”

He sounds so sad. So frustrated.

As quietly as he can Prompto tugs the map from his pocket and fold it out so their surrounding are visible. He finds what he’s after easily enough, Noct marks them all up with little blue stickers immediately after they find them.

Shuffling back Prompto rises to his feet and then noisily rounds the corner, appearing before Ignis and Noct with a bright grin.

“I have the _best_ idea,” Prompto says thrusting the map at Ignis, “We should put Noct to work fishing us up some dinner.”

He taps the nearby fishing spot with his finger as Ignis takes the map. Their eyes meet for a moment and Ignis looks at him fondly, a little gratefully.

“That _is_ a good idea,” Ignis agrees.

“Neeglyss?” Noctis asks, “I’ve not really had a chance to fish there yet.”

Prompto is gratified to see how much this brightens Noct’s mood, he takes the map too, absently holding out a fist for Prompto to bump.

“Will you make your grilled barramundi?” Noctis asks hopefully.

“Provided you catch some for us then, yes, of course.”

Maybe not today though, Prompto thinks, seeing as they’re going to a motel but he’s not saying that out loud and upsetting Noct again.

“You guys all done?” Gladio asks, approaching from the opposite direction Prompto was sent.

“Quite,” Ignis tells him, “Prompto and Noctis are going to head along to the pond for some fishing, I thought you and I might go and break camp and collect the car. Save ourselves the work later.”

Gladio shrugs. “Works for me. You two be careful.”

“I’ll keep _both_ my eyes on things,” Prompto promises.

-

Prompto shucks his boots and socks, dangling his bare feet into the water from his seat at the edge of the short dock. Noctis, to his surprise, does the same, sitting down right against his side before lazily casting his line into the water.

It would be really easy, Prompto thinks, in the calm air of the afternoon, under the bright sun with his best friend comfortable against his side to just spill his guts.

Come clean.

Tell him everything.

Okay, maybe not _everything_.

Stop at _I’m gay_ before the words _I’m in love with you_ tumble out.

But he doesn’t. He never will. It’s not worth the inestimable risk that he’d lose everything - lose Noctis - forever.

Instead he just sits quietly beside the prince, absently snapping pictures across the water, developing a fancy for a decent shot of a Catoblepas and hoping he’s being the type of company Noct needs right now.

He seems to be doing okay, Noctis fishes contentedly and when he pulls in his third barramundi and tosses it into the bucket with the others he pauses to kick a bit of pond water at Prompto.

“Ex _cuse_ you, dude,” Prompto sputters indignantly.

That water is both cold and kind of gross. Not to mention that Noct would have flipped out had Prompto done that to him, accused him of disturbing the fish or some shit.

“Was just checking you hadn’t fallen asleep,” Noctis says innocent as you please, “You’re never this quiet.”

“Uh huh, because _I’m_ the one that falls asleep all over the place,” Prompto mutters. He waits until Noctis has cast his line again and then gives him a rough playful shove. It was a dumb as fuck thing to do, as it turns out, because it makes Prompto wrench his injured shoulder painfully.

“Trying to fish here,” Noctis chides but he’s laughing.

“You started it,” Prompto says petulantly.

“So you just couldn’t be bothered to walk to the car?” Noctis suggests.

“Nah man I just really love Iggy’s grilled barramundi.”

It’s a lie and they both know it.

-

They let Noctis fish too long, everyone enjoying his uptake in mood, and it’s already dark when they clamber back into the car, bucket of fish in tow. It’s too late to push on to the nearest motel but Ignis drives them as far as he dares, to a small outpost with little but a camper and a convenience store.

The best thing about the campers is they have electric outputs to charge all their phones and they do have a shower. The worst thing about campers is that the shower tanks only hold enough water for about two and a half hot showers. In a motel the tank refills and heats up quick enough that they can all bathe properly but in the camper whoever goes third and fourth gets the rawest deal. Noctis always goes either first or second. Not because he demands it but because Ignis refuses to cart around a sloppy prince.

“Shower works,” Prompto says, hopping off the step, “Stove and oven too, Iggy.”

The oven workings a big win, considering there’s no Crows Nest to eat from. Ignis could put together something from their chilled foods sure, but Prompto’s way past a salad at this point.

“Thank you, Prompto,” Ignis says cradling a warm coffee between his hands.

“Prince Charmless should shower first,” Gladio grumbles, “He’s covered in fish scales.”

“Um, or Prom, y’know since he’s _injured_.”

Prompto rolls his eyes and collapses into the chair next to Ignis. _Ouch_. “Just go for a shower Your Stinkiness.”

“Wow,” Noctis deadpans, “Just wow. You suck.”

But he goes off anyway.

“You next,” Ignis says to Prompto, “And then I want to check your back again.”

Prompto obviously can’t see his own back but allegedly it’s a really awesome constellation of purple and yellow right now.

Noct showers quicker than normal and comes back out in a new jeans and t-shirt combo with damp hair. He flicks Prompto on the forehead.

“Off you go,” Noct says.

“I’ll be quick,” Prompto promises to the other two, not sure who’s getting the truly short end of the stick. Probably Gladio, so Ignis can be clean to cook, but what does Prompto know.

“No,” Ignis says, “Please take your time, you deserve it. We’ll be in a motel tomorrow. Gladio and I can indulge then.”

Prompto nods but he absolutely won’t be taking his time.

By the time he’s out though, shirtless with his t-shirt draped around his neck, Ignis has half the fish filleted ready for the oven. He gestures with his knife to where Gladio and Noct are sat outside.

“Get Gladio to check your back, I’m running to the market once this is in the oven.”

“You need help with the fish?” Prompto asks.

Ignis sighs, “Please, go take care of yourself for once Prompto.”

“Only for you,” Prompto sing songs, making his way down the step.

Whatever Noct and Gladio are talking about seems to cut off abruptly at his approach. The heat of Noct’s eyes on him makes redness crawl up the back of his neck and creep round onto his cheeks.

“What?” Prompto asks defensively, for the second time today.

Noctis blinks rapidly a few times and goes a little pink in the face himself. He stands abruptly.

“I’m gonna go help Iggy with the fish,” he mumbles and rushes back inside the camper.

Frowning Prompto turns back to Gladio. “What’s up with him?”

“You’ll know one day,” Gladio says, beckoning him closer, “When you’re old enough.”

“What does that mean?” Prompto whines and turns his back to Gladio with a petulant gesture.

Gladio prods at his back a little then tests the mobility in his shoulder. It’s feeling pretty good to Prompto, better still for the hot water he just pounded down onto it.

Prompto watches Ignis appear from the camper and make his way over to the store, Noctis shuffles after him without looking back at them.

“Getting better,” Gladio says, “Iggy’s gonna bring back a potion, if you want it.”

Prompto _had_ wanted it, just half an hour ago but it feels like such a frivolous waste now. He shakes his head.

“Kings Knight?” Prompto muffles through his t-shirt as he drags it on over his head.

“Hell yeah.”

Noctis seems recovered from whatever that was when they get back from the shop. He hands Prompto his favourite soda - lemon lime - and tosses Gladio a bottle of the fruity sparkling water that he likes and they pointedly do _not_ make fun of him for drinking.

It goes without saying what Ignis is carrying.

“Will you two be alright on the single tonight?” Ignis asks.

Prompto shrugs. That’s how things normally go in campers; Ignis and Gladio share the smaller than normal double in the back and Prompto and Noct squeeze into the short single next to the kitchen. Prompto likes it, but he can’t really admit that out loud. Almost inevitably he wakes up with Noctis spooned around his back or resting comfortably against his chest. They fall asleep back to back, normally, but shit happens while they’re unconscious.

“I can sleep on the floor,” Noctis offers over the hiss of his can opening.

“You can _not_ ,” Ignis and Prompto say at once.

“I totally can,” Noct snaps, hackles raised, “Considering I do it most nights.”

“Wait,” Prompto says and forces hurt into his voice that he obviously doesn’t mean and pushes his bottom lip out in pout, “You mean you don’t want to snuggle the shit out of me?”

Noctis laughs, his ire evaporating.

“He still needs to sleep on his belly,” Gladio warns Noct, “So try and keep your squid limbs to yourself.”

-

Honestly Prompto prefers his barramundi battered and smothered in hot sauce but he’s not going to complain about it when he gets to go to bed well fed _and_ clean for once.

Noctis is already in the single, phone in hand, and Prompto can hear Ignis and Gladio talking quietly in the other room.

As Prompto approaches Noct squishes himself up against the wall as far as he can, sliding his phone under the pillow. He turns down the comforter and pats the bed in front of him. Prompto grins stupidly and slides in, trying to stay as close to the edge as possible.

“You’ll fall out,” Noctis warns, “Just come closer.”

Prompto obliges, feeling warm all over, and moves until all his limbs are safely on the mattress. Noctis moves forward from the wall a touch and moves until his body is along Prompto’s side. Carefully his arm slides over Prompto’s back, low down away from the bruises. When he talks Prompto can feel his warm breath on his shoulder.

“This okay?” Noct whispers.

Prompto swallows, Noct must be able to hear it. “Yeah,” he sighs.

Slowly Noctis’ thumb starts rubbing gently into Prompto’s back. Noctis shifts again pressing even closer, feeling deliciously warm and ducking his head to rest his forehead on Prompto’s shoulder.

“Noct,” Prompto whispers, a nervous giggle following his name, “What are you doing?”

Sure they normally cuddle, but they’re normally unconscious when it starts. If they’re not its way too easy for Prompto to lose himself in the fantasy that he and Noct are just two normal dudes that met in high school and became fast friends, eventually that relationship developed into something more and now they’re just laying in bed together because they want to and not because the camper isn’t designed to sleep four people.

In the fantasy they have a cat. Prompto’s kind of allergic but it’s worth it to make Noctis so happy.

“Snuggling the shit out of you,” Noct says, squeezing him with his arm a little. Noct’s voice sounds thick with sleep already and Prompto turns his head so he can watch the slow, sleepy blink of his eyelids.

“Wan’ me to stop?” Noct mumbles even as his eyes fail to open again.

Prompto doesn’t answer.

He doesn’t sleep either.

\- - -

Prompto gets through the next day _fairly_ well.

He’s exhausted sure. But he runs with Gladio in the morning and then convinces him to go through some combos with him and he discovers, mostly, he’s got his mobility and strength back. He whips out a couple of his machinery weapons and the bio-blaster still proves a bit unwieldy for him - he’ll just poison everyone if he makes a mistake with it - but his auto crossbow works its way back into his arsenal.

They’re on the road again, heading back to Longwythe and the motel after clearing out their list of hunts. Everything has been so easy today that even Noctis is still wide awake, foregoing his usual afternoon nap in the car. Instead he’s winding up Gladio by flicking incessantly through the music, barely letting one song finish before moving on to the next one.

The sun’s setting now but they need it to, so they can detour off to take care of a particularly bothersome group of goblins. Ignis thinks if they time it well enough they’ll be safe. And it’s Ignis, so they’ll definitely time it well enough.

Ignis reaches for an Ebony and Gladio leans forward to pass it up into his hands. To Prompto’s surprise Ignis pops the tab then presses the can against _his_ arm.

“Did you have trouble sleeping?” Ignis asks softly.

Prompto must look awful.

“A bit,” he admits. He’d had nothing _but_ trouble sleeping. He was way too aware of Noct’s body against his own, the potential for him to do something in his sleep that would give him away; too aware of just how _right_ it had all felt.

“Were you in too much pain?” Ignis enquires. “You’ve seemed lively enough today, but if you’re punishing yourself -”

“Oh, no, Iggy I’m good I promise. Barely hurts at all.”

Ignis nods. “This should be an easy enough task. You’ll be able to sleep in no time.”

“I hope the air con works,” Prompto says, “It’s sweltering out here today.”

-

The air con _kind of_ works. It blows air around and said air isn’t quite as hot as it is outside but its also not the cold torrent he was hoping for. He can’t sleep anyway, even though he half expects just to collapse after their feast from the Crows Nest, instead he’s too restless to even sit still and play Kings Knight with the guys.

The one plus side is he took a fairly substantial hit during the fight and Ignis himself had smashed a potion over him to halt the sluggish flow of blood that flowed from the wound so he’s back in tiptop physical shape and clean as a whistle from a too long blistering hot shower.

He excuses himself from the room and ambles up the staircase, finding the door to the roof unlocked, just like last time. Unlike last time Noct isn’t up here though so Prompto wanders up to the edge by himself and takes a seat.

After just a couple minutes the roof door creaks open and Prompto tenses, not up for strangers right now but when he turns his head his shoulders drop back down because it’s _Noct_.

Just Noct.

“Hey,” Prompto says, “Figured you’d be heading to bed.”

Noctis takes a seat and starts picking at the rip in his jeans.

“Yeah I uh -” Noct starts and then cuts off, biting his lip.

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to tell you something,” Noct says in a jumble.

“Sure,” Prompto says ignoring the anxiety that bubbles up in his stomach, “Anything.”

Noctis remains silent for a long time, until Prompto gently nudges him with his shoulder and he admits, “I don’t want to marry Luna.”

Prompto knows this, of course, but Noct has no idea he knows so he just nudges him again and teases, “Not your type?”

“Something like that,” Noctis mutters sullenly.

With a fresh spike of anxiety Prompto says, “That’s not it is it? There’s something else.”

“I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time,” Noctis says quickly, “Ignis says I should have told you forever ago, that you won’t _care_ but I just -”

“Hey,” Prompto interrupts, “Whatever it is it’s fine.”

“You promise?”

Prompto nods, “Best buds, remember?”

Noctis half smiles but it drops quickly and he goes back to focusing on his jeans, then -

“I’m gay,” he blurts.

Prompto’s world shatters around him and then rebuilds itself around this new information.

 _Me too_ his brain yells, _me too._

But this is about Noctis, not him, this is about Noctis sharing something that he was concerned about, that he thought Prompto might not -

“Okay,” Prompto says simply.

“That’s - that’s all you have to say?”

“Well what did you expect to happen?” Prompto asks incredulously.

Maybe he _should_ tell Noct, maybe that would help him. Make him realise he’s anything but alone. Yet if he does that, if he takes away the layer of protection that being _straight_ gives him then they’ll know. They’ll all know how he really feels. And they’ll never let a common pleb with a heart wrenching infatuation for his prince stay by his side.

“I don’t really know,” Noctis admits, “This is the one time I’m not mad Ignis is right.”

Prompto laughs to cover up whatever is happening inside his head and his chest that’s making it hard to think.

“If you want I can pretend to be mad when we go back inside, get one up on him for a change.”

“Nah,” Noctis sighs, “Let him have this one.”

Noct looks so relaxed all of a sudden, like a huge weight just fell off his shoulder. Prompto’s almost jealous but his own honesty come at too high a risk.

“Are you ready for bed?” Noctis asks.

“Yeah,” Prompto lies. He can’t really ask Noctis to leave now, send him back by himself. Prompto can’t even imagine how that would make Noct feel. Ouch. 

Noctis gets to his feet first and puts out a hand to help Prompto up. When they’re upright Noctis uses his grip on Prompto to pull him into a surprising hug.

“Thanks,” Noctis whispers, squeezing him around the shoulders.

Prompto can’t think of anything to say so he just squeezes Noctis back affectionately until the prince pulls away. They make their way back to the room in a companionable silence. Neither of them speak again until they open the door to the room and survey the two double beds.

“By all means,” Noctis says drily in a rough approximation of Ignis’ accent, “Please make yourselves comfortable.”

The adviser and the shield are laying on one bed each, Gladio buried in a book and Ignis scrolling through something on his phone. Ignis deigns to look up when they enter, but it’s Gladio that responds.

“One tall and one small per bed,” he grumbles, “It makes the most sense and you know it.”

Noctis looks a little put out like he would have preferred it differently but Prompto just shrugs. It does make sense that way. Also the older two have less of a gravitational pull on him while he sleeps and Prompto's like eighty percent less likely to wake up with an awkward boner.

“Tallest with smallest,” Prompto chirps and he flings himself down onto the bed beside Gladio. It doesn’t jostle Gladio much - not like it would if the roles were reversed - but it bothers him enough that he swats Prompto lightly on the head with his book. Noctis shuffles over to the other bed.

Laughing a little Prompto rolls back out of the bed and then turns his back to the others to slip into his pyjamas.

“Everything alright?” Ignis asks Noctis quietly.

“Yeah,” Noctis answers softly, “Just like you said.”

\- - -

They end up out by Alstor Slough the next day hunting down some tags for Dave, gathering some more materials and clearing up the last few hunts from Takka and the latest one from Longwythe. It’s a tiring day, but it stays dry yet not hot enough for Prompto to feel like he’s dissolving on the spot. As dusk descends - earlier than ever but no one mentions that - Gladio leads them towards Pullmoor Haven.

They set up the tent and Ignis starts to cook dinner. Noctis is messing around with the fire and Prompto really wants to just like hang out with him and everything but he’s also super distracted standing right at the edge of the haven staring out towards the lake and the small mountain he can see that is a sleeping Catoblepas.

In his head he plays over some information that Sania had told him an _age_ ago and he hops excitedly back towards the others.

He approaches Noctis from behind and swats playfully at his backside.

Which is _fine_?

Completely normal dude stuff, _right_?

No one looks at him askance, not even Noct who simply stands up and turns towards him.

“I wanna take some awesome pics tomorrow morning, wanna help?”

Noctis shrugs slightly and says, “Sure, why not.”

“Thanks bud,” Prompto says, shooting finger guns, “I’ll wake you up when its time?”

“Wait?” Noctis says, suddenly sounding worried, “How early we talking?”

Prompto just laughs and moves off to help Ignis with dinner.

-

Noctis takes an age to really wake up in the morning and he grumbles all through Prompto’s excellent explanation of exactly what they’re going to be doing.

“Mushroom picking takes a _fun-guy_ ,” Prompto teases as they head off into the trees together.

Noctis doesn’t laugh which sucks because that was totally one of the best jokes Prompto’s ever told in maybe his entire life. Ignis would have appreciated it.

They manage to find mushrooms enough to entice a Catoblepas, Prompto thinks, and he takes just a second to locate the closest one, bouncing excitedly on his feet in anticipation. He’s been grinning all morning too, hyped both for the picture and a little quality time with Noct.

Prompto takes hold of his arm just above his elbow and begins to drag Noct over to the perfect spot.

“You’re pretty hyped,” Noctis says, amusement obvious in his tone, “Even by your standards.”

“Dude,” Prompto says earnestly, “A huge opportunity like this doesn’t come by very often.”

That’s not a hundred percent true, of course, because they camp around here often enough but it is rare that all the pieces fall into place for Prompto like this. The weather is perfect, Noctis agreed to get up early, they’ve got nothing pressing on the agenda today and no one is injured.

It’s _perfect_.

Prompto might not even care if the pictures come out crappy. He’s just enjoying himself so much.

“You wouldn’t pass on a big fish, right?” Prompto asks, to put it into a perspective Noct will more fully appreciate.

“I guess,” Noct murmurs and Prompto wonders if he might actually pass on a legendary fish if it meant he could sleep in.

Prompto positions Noctis on the edge of the bank and presses the mushrooms into Noct’s hand. The prince winces, which is fair, mushrooms are ranked only behind carrots in the foods he will absolutely not willingly put in his mouth.

“Should be easy right?” Prompto checks, feeling his confidence dwindle for no reason.

“Yeah, easy to get my ass killed,” Noct grumbles but he’s smiling and playfully he shoves Prompto a little so he backs up to where he needs to be to take the shot.

Almost immediately the catoblepas turns it’s head, seeming to inhale deeply before slowly ambling towards them.

“Are you taking the shot or what?” Noctis asks.

“Pretty close,” Prompto says.

Noctis eyes twitch to the side, he must be able to feel the huge beast behind him now. It _almost_ fills Prompto’s shot.

“ _Prom_ ,” Noct hisses.

“Just a little closer,” Prompto promises.

The catoblepas twitches it’s head -

“Alright, taking it. Strike a pose!” he yells.

Noctis does _something_ and Prompto snaps a series of shots in quick succession then lowers the camera and rushes to Noctis. Prompto grabs the mushrooms and tosses them right onto the edge of the bank where the water laps at the soft mud then grabs Noctis’ hand and tugs him, running off away from the water. He keeps running until they end up behind a large rock, shielding them from view and they fall against it laughing breathlessly.

They’re still holding hands.

Noctis squeezes his fingers and - taking that as a hint - Prompto lets go quickly, his laugh turning almost manic.

“What are you laughing at?” Noctis demands, out of breath, “I could have died.” He punches Prompto in the shoulder, still playful but harder than normal.

“We got the perfect shot,” Prompto says, gleefully, “And had some crazy fun.”

“I guess,” Noctis says and he’s laughing softly again.

They rest for a moment, breathing hard, until Noctis reaches up and his fingers rummage into Prompto’s hair for a second. Prompto can’t stop his eyes fluttering at the touch, relishing the feel of Noct’s fingertips against the sensitive skin above his ear.

Noctis pulls his hands away and with it comes a small dry leaf. He drops it and they both watch it drift down onto the floor.

Noct takes his hand again, tugging him back towards camp. Their palms separate more quickly this time and Prompto wishes he could have found a reason to hang on just a touch longer.

They clamber up the side of the haven, still laughing and jostling each other playfully. Gladio’s doing push ups besides the camp chairs while Ignis whisks eggs and drinks from a mug of coffee. The adviser turns towards them with a smile.

“How did it go?”

“Mission accomplished,” Prompto says beaming.

"Thanks to who?” Noct stresses.

Prompto does a little mocking half bow, “My hero, Noct.”

Noct barks a laugh and throws an arm around his shoulders to tug his down and rub his knuckles across the crown of his head. Prompto’s not done his hair yet so he’s not too mad about it but he still squawks and tries to fight him off.

“Holly called,” Ignis says when they’re done, “She’s finished preparing the mythril for Cid.”

Prompto deflates a little. He wants to see Altissia sure, but he doesn’t want Noct to get married. He never did, not really, not if he’s being honest with himself and especially not now when he knows Noct doesn’t want to either.

“So we should go get it, I guess,” Prompto observes.

“It’s up to Noct,” Ignis says.

Gladio clambers to his feet and looks at Noct expectantly.

Uneasily Noctis shifts his feet and Prompto drifts a bit closer in an attempt at comfort.

“We agreed to do some things for Dave and Cindy over by the Vesperpool,” he says, “We should do them, because we said we would, so we can either go to Lestallum on the way there or the way back.”

Ignis nods, like the information doesn’t phase him. “We’ll head to Lestallum on the return journey then we can deliver the goods to Cindy on the way to Caem to complete our errands.”

In Prompto’s head that buys them at least a week until they’re back at Caem.

He knows its selfish but he really hopes it takes Cid a while to fix the boat.

He just hopes Lady Lunafreya will be okay.

-

They stop on the way to Vesperpool and they could really just have headed into Lestallum and bunked at the Leville in their usual room but by unspoken agreement Ignis drives them on to Old Lestallum instead and Prompto goes with Gladio to arrange a motel room for them while Ignis and Noctis head to the market for supplies and the Crows Nest to put in their diner order.

“Two doubles,” Gladio checks as the lady passes the keys over.

It’s a sensible check to make, one time they’d gotten all the way upstairs just to discover just two single beds in the room. The motel had moved them and it was fine but there was a brief twenty minutes of horror where Prompto thought he might be sleeping in the bathtub.

“Yes indeed,” they lady chirps.

Gladio does one of his charming smiles and the lady blushes as they walk away.

“I want a burger so bad,” Prompto muses as they cross the road.

“You and me both, kid,” Gladio agrees handing his the second key.

Prompto swats him on the arm for calling him ‘kid’ which, hello, dumb idea. Gladio’s made of actual steel probably, Prompto has a working theory.

When they enter the diner Ignis is settled in a booth with two mugs of coffee - one is probably for Gladio but you never _can_ be sure - but Noctis is stood over by the Pinball machines. This isn’t unusual really, except Noctis isn’t playing the machines.

Predictably Prompto head directly over to him, ignoring Gladio’s chuckle.

“What’s up?”

“I thought we could let Mom and Dad get away from the kids for a night and take our food upstairs,” Noctis explains, “I ordered you fried pickles to sweeten the deal.”

“Dude, I love you,” he says stupidly.

He regrets instantly.

Noctis flushes adorably and Prompto just cannot look away even though his own race reddens embarrassingly. _He’s_ not adorable when he blushes, unfortunately.

“Uh - so,” Prompto stutters awkwardly, “I assume Ignis is Mom right?”

Noctis laughs, “You didn’t hear that from me.”

“Never,” Prompto agrees, he gestures at the Justice Monsters pinball machine, “So have we got time to take one of these bad boys for a spin before the food is ready?”

“Hell yeah, Mom even gave us enough coins for both of us to have a go,” Noctis says grinning.

Prompto punches his fist into his palm, “Lets do this!”

Prompto’s go doesn’t last long. He gets distracted and flustered by how close Noctis stands to him, right up along his side rather than to one side of the machine like they normally do. Noctis is super good at this game, usually, but he loses his first two lives in quick succession and really only seems to fall into his stride when Prompto leaves to collect their food from the counter.

In the end he seems to let his last ball drop on purpose when the smell of fries gets to be too much for him.

Noctis takes the bag from him as they leave the Crows Nest, opening it up and rummaging in it for fries even as they cross the road. Prompto rolls his eyes fondly. He really doesn’t mind, Prompto can do without a few extra fries, especially if it makes Noctis happy.

Prompto pops the door to the room open with one hand, balancing the drinks tray on one hand and without discussing it they toe off their boots and clamber onto one of the beds sitting cross legged opposite each other and tear into the bag.

Prompto pulls the top off his burger and waits expectantly for Noctis to move the tomato, lettuce and pickles over from his own which he does quickly and with a disgruntled face the whole time.

“Lettuce doesn’t even really taste of anything,” Prompto muses.

“No point to it then, is there,” Noctis says belligerently.

“Uh huh,” Prompto agrees sarcastically.

A piece of wet lettuce bounces off his nose.

After the burgers are demolished Prompto manages to get Noctis to bite into one of his fried pickles. The prince does chew and even swallows the delicious, sour, salty piece of heaven but he doesn’t look happy about it and he stares at Prompto’s mouth as he finishes off the morsel in his stead.

“What?” Prompto asks, suddenly anxious, “Was that gross? Should I not have eaten it after you -”

“Dude, no, shut up,” Noctis interrupts and Prompto can’t help but notice he’s blushing a little again, “We can share shit. Like, anything.”

Prompto swallows.

“We should do a raid,” Noctis says suddenly, “Two person, we haven’t in ages.”

“Shit yes,” Prompto agrees readily, “We’re gonna smash this.”

Even as he digs into his pocket for his phone Noctis holds out a fist and Prompto knocks it with his own.

They do smash it. For a while. And then out of no where, right near the end Prompto wipes completely, his character winking off the screen with little fanfare.

“Shit, shit,” Noctis says, fidgeting.

“You got this,” Prompto coaxes, “You can totally do this, buddy.”

Noctis nods distractedly, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and gnawing at it with his front teeth. His brow furrows in concentration, gaze intense and fingers working lighting fast across his screen.

Prompto should probably look at his own phone, get himself ready for another go but instead he just stares at his best friend. At the little indentations his teeth make into his plush bottom lip, how the pressure makes it almost white.

Noct releases his lip, tongue peeking out to wet it and Prompto’s does the same to his own.

Noctis is _gay_. He remembers. He’s _gay_.

He could maybe -

It’s not inconceivable -

 _Maybe_ -

Noctis cries triumphantly tossing his phone to one side and holding up his hand for a high five. He looks breathless and pleased. Flushed and excited.

Prompto rocks forwards and kisses him.

Noctis makes a small noise of surprise, muffled into Prompto’s mouth, and then his hands are on Prompto’s shoulders. Prompto tenses, expecting to be shoved away but he’s not. Noctis tugs him closer, trailing one hand up his neck into his hair and then tilting his head to deepen it, to press his tongue tentatively at the seam of his mouth.

Prompto opens to him, sighing through his nose, and Noctis touches their tongues together once, twice before reeling back abruptly. Noctis doesn’t take his hands away though, which Prompto decides to take as a good sign even as years of mental anxiety and secrecy crash around in his head and his stomach.

“Wait,” Noctis says panting, “You like girls - Cindy. Aranea.”

Prompto shakes his head, “You,” he breathes, “I like _you_.”

“Shit,” Noctis hisses and then he tugs them back together.

Prompto essentially keens when Noctis nips at his mouth before pushing their lips together again. Prompto leans forward more, hands bracing on Noct’s thighs, and the hand not in his hair trails to his waist and tries to tug Prompto even closer. Prompto shuffles up onto his knees while still keeping their mouths working together, albeit a little clumsily.

Prompto walks on his knees towards Noct who leans back slightly, encouraging him towards the prince’s lap and holy _shit_ is Prompto on board with that. Their mouths separate and they stare at each other, panting warm air into each others mouths. Noctis squeezes his waist encouragingly and kisses him almost tenderly. Prompto sighs again lifting a hand to trace the sharp edge of Noctis jaw as they trade sweet little kisses and he begins to swing a leg over Noct’s -

The doorknob turns.

Prompto flies off Noctis, flies all the way off the bed, burning red in the face and quickly turning to gather all the trash from their dinner to give his hands something to do and an excuse to turn away from Gladio and Ignis as they stroll into the room with all their bags.

“Tell me you didn’t eat on the bed,” Ignis scolds.

Noctis laughs, something a little off in his tone, “Sorry Iggy, you taught me not to lie.”

“I’m not sleeping in that,” Ignis says, “Gladio you’ll have to share with me I’m afraid.”

“Just keep your icy toes to yourself,” Gladio tells him easily.

“Does anyone mind if I shower before we turn in?” Prompto asks. No one says anything but he can feel three sets of eyes turn towards him at the oddly high pitch his voice takes on.

“I’m not dead set on sleeping right away,” Ignis says.

“I wanna read and we know Prince Charmless is gonna stare gormlessly at his phone for an hour,” Gladio adds.

There’s a soft thump so Prompto can only assume Noct flung a pillow at him. Prompto doesn’t respond, just darts back to grab his bag and rush towards the bathroom.

“Is Blondie alright?” he hears Gladio ask before the door snaps shut.

It’s only when Prompto has the shower running that he realises that Noctis might possibly think that Prompto had escaped to the shower to jerk off.

 _Shit_.

He’s not. He certainly could of course. A steady thrum of need is now coiled inside him, pulled tight at the first press of their lips together, even though the physical evidence of his arousal vanished the moment Ignis and Gladio arrived.

Prompto rushes through his shower, washing his hair quickly and scrubbing himself down enough that he’s soft and clean when he dries off and steps into his pyjamas. He brushes his teeth thoroughly, aware he just made out with the Prince of Lucis after eating a small mountain of pickles.

When he comes back out Gladio and Ignis are both propped up against their head board reading and Noctis sat basically where Prompto left him, still looking at his phone. Ignis goes to take his turn in the bathroom and Prompto sits on the edge of the bed that’s closest to the other one nervously wondering what the fuck is about to happen. Just for appearances sake he takes out his camera and sorts through today's pictures.

“Get anything good?” Noctis asks.

“Oh,” Prompto says, “Yeah - you wanna see?”

Noctis nods eagerly and crawls over. He settles close enough to thrill Prompto but not so close the other might think it indecent and secretly, hidden from Gladio’s view he rests his hand against the small of Prompto’s back and rubs in small soothing circles.

Prompto relaxes a smidgen and when their eyes meet they simultaneously offer small reassuring smiles.

They’re _okay_.

Whatever just happened. Whatever happens now, they’re okay. And that’s all that matters.

Noctis lets Gladio go next in the bathroom and they sit together quietly looking through the pictures, laughing at the dumb ones - Noctis demands he deletes any where he doesn’t look absolutely _perfect_ \- and deciding which ones to keep. When Noctis does go for his turn Ignis switches the main light out for the side lamps and Prompto wiggles under the blankets, lying still on his back.

Noct slides into the bed beside him, switching out the lamp on his side and Prompto shifts to do the same to his and together they lie, shoulder to shoulder, waiting while first Ignis’ and then, what feels like hours later, Gladio’s lights turn off too.

As soon as the room is plunged into darkness Noctis rolls onto his side and throws his arm around Prompto’s waist. Prompto hesitates for half a second before rolling to face him too, bringing a hand up between them to press against his chests and feel the steady beat of Noct’s heart against his palm.

Noctis lifts his head off the pillow and peers over Prompto at the other bed. Instead of settling down again he leans to kiss Prompto. It’s a near miss but Prompto stifles the noise that threatens to escape him. He twists his fingers into the soft fabric of Noct’s t-shirt instead.

Noctis smiles into the kiss.

They kiss for a long time, almost innocent in the way their mouths simply press together, their legs tangling into a hopeless mess.

They pull apart and simply lie there smiling at one another for a while.

“I like you, too,” Noctis whispers, “By the way.”


	2. Chapter 2

Prompto both loves and hates the Vesperpool. The scenery is nice and pretty, though the lighting can be challenging. There’s two fishing spots for Noctis to enjoy and a plethora of things to scavenge. On the flip sides it’s full of some of Prompto’s least favourite monsters, basilisk are a pain in the ass and he’s been grabbed and thrown around by sahagin more times than he cares to admit.

Noctis is kind of obnoxiously cheerful today. It’s nothing on Prompto on his best days of course, Noctis is just too introverted for that but he’s still happy enough that both Ignis and Gladio notice. Teasing him for being a pampered Prince that can only get truly rested with a soft bed beneath him. Noctis doesn’t seem to mind, shrugging off the comments, and when they’re walking towards the map spot marked by Cindy he hangs back letting Ignis and Gladio overtake him so he can hold Prompto’s hand for a minute.

Prompto ducks his head shyly and grips back.

Noctis laughs fondly and whispers, “You’re so fucking cute. Shit, I can finally say _whatever_ I want.”

“Dude, don’t,” Prompto whines, “I’ll lose my shit.”

“Good,” Noctis teases. He squeezes Prompto’s hand before he has to let go - both to avoid suspicion and to clamber over a low fence. With a more serious tone Noctis keeps talking, “We should talk later,” he says and Prompto almost blanches with alarm, “Just alone,” Noct hastens to add, “Nothing bad. Dude, Prom, no, we’re good. I’m glad - I’m happy, okay?”

Prompto nods shakily, “Yeah.”

They’re separated by the fence between then and Noctis looks over his shoulder to make sure Ignis and Gladio aren’t looking. Then he leans forward to press a brief but firm kiss to his mouth. “Don’t over think this please,” Noctis begs.

Prompto manages a smile, small but sincere, helped along by Noct’s thumb coming to sweep across his cheek.

“I’ll do my best,” Prompto promises.

-

Regaltrices can _fuck off_ , in Prompto’s humble opinion. They take them out without serious injury but Prompto comes out of a fog of confusion at the end of the fight to find himself shooting pointlessly into a pile of rocks. It’s Gladio’s rough hands that shake him back to the real world and break a remedy over him, for good measure.

They find the part for Cindy - some complicated doohickey that even Prompto’s mechanically minded brain can’t decipher - and start to head back towards the car.

“We should make camp,” Ignis advises, “It’s a long drive to Lestallum and it’s safer to head out tomorrow morning.”

“Can I fish?” Noctis asks at once even though no one can really stop him.

Gladio sighs, “Let me grab my book first.”

“I’ll go,” Prompto offers which seems selfless he’s sure but is in fact, _entirely_ selfish.

This way they can talk or something. Use their mouths at any rate.

They hang around to help set up camp and then set off towards the closer fishing spot, walking close enough to bump shoulders and as soon as they’re out of sight of the haven Noctis takes his hand again.

“I do have to catch some fish,” Noctis says apologetically, “Or it’ll look weird. But then I’m gonna kiss the shit out of you, okay.”

Prompto flushes, pleased, and a laugh bubbles out of him. “I thought we were going to talk.”

“That too,” Noctis agrees.

Prompto plops himself down onto the edge of the dock again and Noctis stays standing so as not to get distracted, he says. Noct quickly and easily reels in a few fish, a couple edible a couple not, then releases his pole back into his armiger and sits beside him.

A warm arm curls around Prompto’s waist and he leans into Noct’s body.

“Hi,” Noct says, all but a whisper.

Prompto turns his head smiling, to flutter soft kisses along Noct’s jaw to the corner of his mouth where he presses more firmly.

“Hi,” he says in return.

“How come you never said anything?” Noct asks. He shuffles around until he’s all but wrapped sideways around Prompto, the blond resting between his spread legs, one of which dangles over the water.

“Why didn’t you?” Prompto says evasively. It feels kind of dumb, now Prompto thinks about it, all his reasoning. All his _lying_. But he’d been so frightened.

“That’s fair,” Noctis murmurs, “I just - it’s complicated. Me being gay. I’ve gotta make an heir - _heirs_ preferably - whether I wanna like stick my dick in a girl or not.”

Prompto giggles at the terminology but offers, “They have science for that, y’know.”

“That is the plan,” Noctis admits, he gives him a squeeze and kisses his temple, “Your turn.”

“I thought if I came out,” Prompto says, “They’d work out how I felt about you and send me away.”

“Prom,” Noctis says sadly, “That wouldn’t have happened, not ever. I wouldn’t let them.”

Noctis kisses from his temple down to his jaw then pulls back slightly to nuzzle into his hair.

“Oh hey,” Prompto twists slightly so he can thread his fingers into Noctis’ fine hair and pull him into a needy kiss. When they pull apart he pants, “Is that treason?”

Noctis laughs.

“Nuh uh,” Noctis says, “Totally allowed. Royal decree. In fact, it has to happen like all the time.”

Prompto giggles again but obliges leaning in to seal their mouth together. They explore thoroughly, mouth coming together clumsily, a little messily. Noctis feels around his waist, palming at his hip, reaching to squeeze a thigh. Prompto makes a breathy noise, starting to lean backwards against the dock, dragging Noct’s shoulder to encourage him over him. Noct scrambles his leg out of the way and settles mostly at his side, warm body partially over his.

The deck is hard and cold against his back but when Noct whispers, “This okay?” he just nods and drags him back in for more kisses.

Noctis has restless hands, smoothing up the length of his torso, one hand sneaking _just so_ under the hem of his top until his fingers touch skin. Prompto grips his shoulders tightly, trailing one hand down Noctis’ back slowly, feeling all the bumps of his spine.

Soon they’re panting between kisses, Noct’s fingertips almost bruising into Prompto’s skin when he palms the princes ass firmly to drag their hips together. Noct turns to Prompto’s neck roughly kissing, almost biting into the new territory and Prompto can only tilt his head back and gasp into the steadily darkening evening.

“Shit,” Noctis says, almost moans, “You’re so - I’ve wanted you for so long.”

“Me too,” Prompto promises using his grip on Noct’s butt to pull him back up and more over him, into more breathless kisses.

Noct grinds down against him and Prompto whines. Noctis drags his mouth away and stares down at him with dilated eyes and pink cheeks.

Prompto stomach gurgles loudly.

They break off into laughter and Noct’s forehead drops down onto his own.

Prompto didn’t think he could feel anything right now but want for his best friend. Didn’t think he could want anything but for Noctis to pull him apart, piece by piece against this fishing dock.

But apparently he can be hungry for food too.

“We should head back, huh?” Noctis asks.

Prompto makes a noise of disagreement. “But this is _fun_ ,” he argues.

“We’ve got like a million days ahead of us,” Noctis assures him.

They both ignore the fact that isn’t true.

Sooner or later they will have to go to Altissia. Noctis _has_ to get married.

\- - -

It’s probably a good thing the two of them don’t sit together in the car, Prompto’s not sure they’d be able to resist holding hands or sliding himself into the middle seat so he can slip his arm around Noct’s waist and hold him close.

Prompto doesn’t really know if they’re explicitly not allowed to be together - are they together? - or if Noctis is just worried Ignis won’t approve or Gladio will tease them. Either way, Prompto’s kind of glad they're separated so he doesn’t have to try and control himself.

A few times he catches Noct’s eye, either over his shoulder or in the rear view mirror, and his expression turns Prompto’s insides to mush and his heart beat irregular. At one point he catches Ignis’ eye while they’re driving too and he also has a new expression on his face, almost puzzled but definitely fond somehow and Prompto has no idea what to make of that.

They break briefly at a rest spot to eat the packed lunch Ignis put together and use the bathroom before heading on. Noctis comes into the bathroom just as Prompto finishing up and they exchange a quick and messy kiss pressed against the door until Gladio bangs roughly on it and yells for Noct to hurry up.

“I miss you,” Noct tells him quietly.

“Shut up.”

-

Holly hands them a small wrapped package that looks in _no way_ special enough for the amount of trouble they went through to get it.

“Are we heading to Cindy first or Caem?” Prompto asks absently as they head down the stairs leading away from the power plant. Noctis falters slightly on the step down ahead of him and Prompto reaches for his arm automatically to steady him. Noctis shrugs away from his touch and Prompto feels an almost alarming spike of anxiety as he moves out of reach.

“Why?” Gladio asks slyly, “Excited to see your special lady?”

Prompto whips around to look at him in alarm.

Shit shit _shit_.

“What are you talking about?”

Gladio’s face drops into a frown briefly before he grins broadly.

“Sure, play dumb now,” Gladio teases, “Act like you’re not just dying to get back and ogle her in little shorts again.

“I’m not - thats. _Shut_ up,” Prompto stammers dumbly.

A hand grips his bare wrist tightly, almost painfully, and he’s tugged down a step and he stumbles into Noctis side.

“Me and Prom are gonna find an arcade or something,” Noctis says bluntly.

Ignis glances at his watch and sighs.

“There aren’t any arcades here,” Gladio says.

“We’ll meet in an hour and a half outside the Leville and head out to dinner,” Ignis offers. Gladio looks at him like he’s grown a second head.

“What?” Gladio asks.

“’Kay. Bye,” Noctis says dragging Prompto away.

They turn down an alleyway and then another and Prompto just follows along dragged by the wrist.

“Noct,” he says, “What’s the matter?”

They turn down another, narrower alley where the windows are all boarded up. It seems a bit sketchy if Prompto’s being honest, and is definitely not anything even remotely resembling an arcade.

“Want you,” Noctis says roughly and then he turns Prompto up against the wall and steps right into his space to kiss him harshly and desperately.

Prompto grunts into Noct’s mouth as their teeth clash, tilting his head to improve the angle and raising his hand to pet along Noctis’ jaw gently in an attempt to calm him down. It works somewhat, Noct moans softly and their mouths come together more slowly, tongues replacing teeth but he still presses Prompto into the wall grip tight on his hips.

Prompto spreads his legs a little to brace himself and Noctis steps right between them, thighs flush against Prompto’s, with a needy little noise. Noctis gropes around his thighs and ass until one of them scoots back up his torso underneath his shirt to strokes his waist and further up his chest.

Prompto whines when Noctis brushes against one of his nipple and Noctis has to pull away and bury his face against Prompto’s neck to hide his grin.

“You’re so hot,” Noct murmurs, giving him a gentle, experimental pinch.

Prompto grits his teeth against a moan and his hips jerk - he’s gratified to discover that Noctis is also steadily hardening between in his jeans. Prompto grips onto his waist to pin them together, rutting against his best friend.

Prompto twists and turns his head until he can get Noct’s mouth back against his own and for a minute he indulges in the warmth of his mouth before pulling back half an inch.

“Want you,” Prompto echoes Noct’s earlier statement.

And then Noct’s hands are on his belt.

“Shit,” Prompto says, as the metal clink seems to echo around him, “Wait.”

Noct stops.

“Sorry,” he says, “Don’t you want to?”

“’Course I do,” Prompto assures him, pecking his mouth, “But here?”

“I _want_ you,” Noctis stresses, “No one comes down here.”

Prompto knows that this is a stupid idea, Noct has no way of knowing that, none at all. But _all_ of this is a stupid idea. Messing around with the Prince of Lucis, sneaking off down deserted alleyways and not being where they said they were going to be.

If he’s going to hell he might as well do it thoroughly.

“We don’t have any stuff,” Prompto says, one last ditch attempt at being sensible.

“I just wanna get my hands on you,” Noctis says hotly.

Prompto nods and their hands tangle unhelpfully as they both attempt to undo his belt until Noctis knock his fingers out of the way to focus on the task. Prompto tangles one of his hands into Noct’s hair to pull it away from his neck so he can lean in and work at it with his mouth.

Noctis groans as he roughly shoves Prompto’s tight jeans as far down his thighs as they’ll go without performing some kind of gymnastics. He wastes no time in grabbing hold of Prompto’s shaft, hot and heavy, pulsing in the princes dry grip.

Prompto tugs at Noct’s wrist and he lets go immediately looking worried but Prompto merely brings his palm to his mouth a licks wetly across it twice before pushing Noctis’ hand back onto him. Noct makes two firm, long strokes before Prompto’s head drops back against the wall with a low thunk.

Prompto’s panting, chewing his lip and trying not to make too much noise in just under a minute.

Noct presses against his side, leaving his hand room to work at his dick and his mouth space to work on Prompto’s throat. He palms over Prompto’s head, gathering the moisture he’'s been leaking since this started and Prompto moans.

“You’re so good,” Noctis murmurs, “ _Look_ at you.”

Prompto keens low, whimpering as his thighs tense.

“Shit,” he says, “Noct, I - please. I can’t.”

“Yes,” Noct hisses, working his hand faster, taking the time to squeeze deliberately just under his head.

Noctis kisses Prompto’s tense mouth and Prompto gasps, opening his mouth to welcome Noct’s tongue, trying to kiss his thanks into that beautiful mouth.

“Come on,” Noctis goads against his lips.

Prompto nips his mouth, “I’m gonna -”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Noctis chants and he makes a faint noise of delight as Prompto tenses all over, squeezing his eyes tight as he throbs and spills his release onto the ground in front of them.

Prompto’s not really aware of anything for a while but he slowly comes back to Eos, focusing first on the gentle kisses Noct presses into his shoulder and then into the jerky little moves Noct’s hips are making against his thigh.

“Gods,” Prompto says, jerking back to life and wiggling his hands between their bodies to pluck open Noctis’ fly.

“I can come like this,” Noctis murmurs, sounding pained.

“Shit,” Prompto curses, desperate, pushing him gently but succinctly away just enough to get his pants open. Noct’s pants are looser and they fall easily down his thighs, Prompto tugs his boxers just enough to hook them under Noct’s balls, out of the way.

Prompto takes the time to lick his palm but it’s hardly necessary, he passes his hand over Noct’s tip as he takes him in hand and the prince is positively dripping. He groans into Prompto shoulder, deep and anguished, and Prompto barely has enough time to get his other hand in the way to catch Noct’s spend as he grunts out a blistering release.

Prompto kisses Noct’s hair as he pants into Prompto’s shoulder, recovering from his orgasm, clutching weakly at Prompto’s waist like he expects him to run away.

When he’s recovered Noct pulls back to stumble back a step, he starts looking around a little wildly.

“We need something to wipe -”

Noct cuts off, turning to stare at Prompto as he finishes licking the mess from his hand. Only when he’s done, wiping his damp but no longer sticky hand onto the jeans still bunched around his thighs does Noctis move once more.

“Fuck,” Noct mutters rushing back at him.

He kisses him ferociously, all but licking his own taste from Prompto’s mouth. Their bare crotches press together, still deliciously sensitive.

“You _can’t_ do shit like that,” Noctis complains.

“Dude, I’ve been thinking about that _forever_ ,” Prompto tells him honestly.

Maybe not _exactly_ this of course, his fantasies usually include Noct’s gargantuan bed back in his apartment or even his own twin, but everything they did could definitely be noted as things to tick off his bucket list.

Noctis kisses him again, tenderly and soft. He chuckles when he pulls away.

“We should head back,” he says, “Before someone sees my bare ass.”

Prompto reaches to playfully grab at said ass before allowing Noct to yank up his pants and doing the same with his own. It’s a little uncomfortable seeing that he’s a little damp, tacky against the cotton of his boxers.

“I need to change,” Prompto says mildly.

“We’ve still got time to slip up to the room,” Noctis assures him, “I wish we could, like, grab a shower together, but -”

“It’s too risky,” Prompto says, “Gotta keep this on the down low, huh?”

Prompto doesn’t know why he says it, but he does, and he can do nothing to stop the way it crumples Noct’s expression.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know if - with everything that’s happening…”

“Hey,” Prompto says, cupping his jaw and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth and then nuzzling his cheek, “This is enough. _You’re_ enough. I don’t need everyone else to know about it too.”

-

Gladio’s in the room, when they’ve finally made their way up the stairs, but he’s on the phone - to Iris - and merely waves at them, moving out to the balcony to continue his conversation.

Prompto doesn’t really have time for a full shower, so he merely wipes himself down and switches out his fatigues for a more casual jeans and tank combo. Noctis also changes, into jeans of his own and a snug black t-shirt. Prompto wants to bundle him down onto the bed and fuck up his collected appearance, maybe drag him off for that shower they mentioned.

 _Could_ they shower together one day? Would Noct mention it if he left his wristband on the whole time?

He’s never mentioned it before. Not since the one time when they were fifteen and he’d asked why Prompto always wore his tatty wristband. Prompto doesn’t remember how he responded. Just that it’d made Noct back off, apologising, and on his sixteenth birthday had gifted him with the leather cuff he still wears to this day.

It's probably best the shower is off limits for now. He just isn't ready to show Noct his bar code. Not when he doesn't even know what it meant.

Gladio’s still on the phone when they’re both done but he waves them off and indicates he’ll just be a minute so they head off down the stairs together. Noct reaches to tangle their fingers together and Prompto blushes just like last time.

Noctis grins. “So you don’t blush when my hand is on your dick but if I touch your hand you colour up like the sun. _Interesting_.”

Prompto drops his hand to give him a shove.

“Dude,” he whines.

Noct pulls them to a stop on the landing before the stairs open up into the lobby and crowds Prompto against the wall.

“What is it?”

“I just didn’t think - I never thought you’d be so affectionate,” Prompto admits, rushing to reassure him when his face falls to concern, “I _like_ it. I just never thought I’d get to - that we’d ever like hold hands and stuff.”

Noctis smiles softly, pecking his cheek. “But you assumed dick touching would happen?”

“Dick touching wipes my brain clean man, I can't tell you _what_ I was thinking.”

“I know what to do when your anxiety gets the better of you, at least,” Noct teases.

Prompto blushes again and is saved the effort of pushing Noct away by him pulling himself off when loud footsteps echo down the stairs.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” Gladio says roughly.

Noctis doesn’t answer just rolls his eyes and starts heading back down the stairs. Prompto offers the big guy a smile and a shrug before trailing after Noctis.

“Oh,” Ignis says in surprise when he spots them coming out of the hotel, “I didn’t expect the two of you to be inside.”

“Prom wanted to get changed,” Noctis says easily, ignoring that he too has changed and causing a new flush of redness to creep across Prompto's face. Not to mention the casual use of Prompto’s nickname in front of the other. It happens of course. Not even infrequently, but today, after everything that’s happened it makes his heart beat faster and the desire to grab Noct’s hand or curl himself around his waist almost unbearable.

“I felt gross after being in the car all day,” Prompto explains. It's only about half a lie. 

Ignis smiles at him, “Perfectly understandable,” he turns to Gladio, “How’s Iris?”

“Good,” Gladio gruffs out, “Crops are doing well. She’s a bit worried about Talcott so I talked to him for a bit. I think he’s lonely, so I suggested we could stay a couple days next time we visit, maybe.”

“That’s fine by me,” Noct says quickly.

Free beds and showers are always appealing to Noct; also this is a potential chance at a delay. Prompto wonders if there are many hiding places he and Noct can lose themselves in.

Ignis nods thoughtfully, “Anyone have any preference for dinner?”

“I could go for skewers,” Gladio says.

“Surgates?” Prompto suggests excitedly. They have skewers for Gladio and the rice and curry dish that Ignis had adapted into one of Prompto’s favourites. It's not as good as Iggy's, but still. 

-

Noctis manages to complain his way into the two of them sharing a bed again and they lie facing each other on their phones while Ignis and Gladio go about whatever business they have to do this evening. They’re lying so close their phones occasionally clack together, making them laugh and gripe playfully. Beneath the blankets their legs are all tucked up and tangled together.

It’s probably not super noticeable from the outside of the bed.

As soon as the lights go out Noct scoots his phone under a pillow and buries himself in Prompto’s chest, curling his arms around him. Prompto reaches up to pet through his hair while he falls asleep.

\- - -

It takes Prompto a long time - too long really - to notice that they’re driving to Caem via a very circuitous route.

“Are we going to Ravatogh?” Prompto asks when they turn onto a familiar road.

“There’s a few errands we can finish off,” Ignis explains, “And apparently the tipster there has information we might find useful.”

“Will we be able to do it and get to Caem today?”

Ignis shakes his head, “We’ll camp on the trail and then push on tomorrow.”

“Can I take that picture I couldn’t get last time?” Prompto requests, bursting with excitement.

Noctis yawns in the backseat. “You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t include climbing the damn thing. Again,” he grumbles.

Prompto turns to flash him a grin.

“No climbing today,” Ignis promises.

“I have something I want your help with though, tomorrow before we break camp,” Gladio says.

“Sure,” Noct agrees easily probably to tired to recognise the suggestion of an early morning.

\- - -

Sure enough when Prompto drags himself out of the tent the next morning Gladio and Noct are off somewhere and Ignis is just starting to prepare breakfast. After yawning into the back of his hand he walks up to Ignis and touches his arm to get his attention.

“You want some help?”

“Of course, Prompto, thank you,” Ignis says. He grabs a second chopping board and knife then places a selection of veggies onto it and places it besides his own. “How do you feel about chopping?” Ignis asks.

“As long as you’re after a rough dice,” Prompto teases.

“Perfectly adequate,” the adviser assures him.

They chop in a companionable silence for a while, Prompto humming to break up the silence and he puts the veggies in the correct pan when Ignis indicates he should.

“It’s nice to see you in a better mood,” Ignis muses as he starts to crack eggs into a bowl.

Prompto hesitates briefly in his stirring.

“I didn’t realise I was ever in a _bad_ mood,” Prompto says, feeling bad _now_ , “I’m sorry.”

It’s sort of Prompto’s job to be a cheerful goofball, it’s his one major talent in life. He hopes he wasn’t bumming everyone out too bad.

“No need to apologise,” Ignis assures him, “You were never off putting in anyway. You just seemed more subdued for a while, perfectly understandable. I’m glad something has raised your spirits.” Ignis is quiet for a moment while he whisks. “Whatever that may be.”

Their eyes meet for a minute and Prompto’s almost absolutely certain that Ignis knows _exactly_ what he and Noct have been getting up to. Prompto braces himself for the lecture but it never comes and he replays Ignis’ last words in his mind.

Ignis doesn’t seem mad about it. Not at all.

In fact he seems pleased if anything.

“Me too,” Prompto says. Ignis says nothing; nothing to confirm or deny Prompto’s suspicions.

To prevent things becoming awkward he declares, “I just worked it out. We’re making a frittata right?”

“Very astute,” Ignis says, “I suppose we better chop some ham into it, otherwise the barbarians will complain.”

Prompto laughs and does just that, retrieving the gighee ham from where Ignis had left it. Prompto adds it to the pan with the veggies and lets it sizzle away for a minute while Ignis finishes whisking and seasoning the eggs. He lets Ignis take over after that, not really sure how to go about finishing it off.

Speaking of barbarians, Prompto muses, as Noctis and Gladio appear, climbing up the edge of the haven. Noctis looks cheerful enough considering he’s been awake for a while. He’s rough housing with Gladio and he stumbles as he reaches the peak of the haven, jostled by Gladio. He recovers, retaliating by kicking him in the thigh and running away before Gladio can do anything about it.

“Good hustle out there,” Gladio calls as Noctis rounds the cooking station to peer into the pan. Noctis waves off the praise.

“Morning,” Noctis says, glancing at Prompto shyly.

Prompto has to bite into his cheek to keep his smile from becoming stupid.

“Did you have a nice time - doing whatever it was?”

Noctis snorts, “Yeah - Gladio needed my help picking flowers of all things.”

Ignis laughs.

“Flowers?” Prompto clarifies.

“Wild, right.”

-

They pull into Caem in the late afternoon, right as dusk is starting to creep over the lighthouse. Talcott comes bounding down the hill towards them as they climb up and Gladio jogs forward to meet him, picking him up and swinging him onto a broad shoulder in a practised, easy big brother move.

“Prince Noctis!” Talcott cries happily as the rest of them catch up, “Prompto, Ignis, welcome back!”

“Hey little buddy,” Prompt greets hopping on his tiptoes to receive a high five. Cid seems to have gifted Talcott a Hammerhead branded hat and the seven year old wears it with pride, snapped tight on the smallest setting but still kind of too big. Talcott has to keep one hand on top of his head so it doesn’t blow off in the breeze.

It’s too cute for words. Honestly.

“Master Hester, it’s wonderful to see you doing so well,” Ignis tells him.

“I got you a present little man,” Noct says, “Lets head inside so I can give it to you.”

Talcott grins in pure delight, “Oh thank you, thank you, your highness.”

Noctis blushes, just a tiny bit.

“You found another statuette?” Prompto whispers, surprised, as they follow Gladio up the hill.

“In Lestallum,” Noctis explains, “I remembered seeing it a while back but had no reason to buy it before.”

“You’re the sweetest Prince in the world,” Prompto teases.

“It’s literally between me and _Ravus_ so I’d fucking hope so.”

-

It takes almost fifteen minutes for Talcott to calm down and stop spewing thanks and praise once Noct presents him with the small blue figurine. Then he very shyly and politely asks Prompto to show him some of their adventures since they last visited and Prompto sits at the kitchen table with Talcott on his lap flicking through battle photos and posed shots.

Iris comes in from the garden and Gladio suddenly drags Noctis away from where he was loitering in the kitchen, trying to wheedle a pre-dinner cookie out of Monica’s stash.

Noctis awkwardly steps towards her and Gladio hovers nearby, turning his back and trying really hard to make it look like he’s not eavesdropping.

Noct puts a hand behind his back and to Prompto’s shock a bouquet of flowers pops into them in a sprinkle of blue magic.

“Hey, Iris,” Noct says.

“Oh, hey Noct,” Iris return brightly, leaning to try and peer around his back, “What’s up?”

“Oh, you know, nothing.”

Gladio clears his throat, “Noct has a little something he wants to give you.”

Noctis turns to look over his shoulder at Gladio and Prompto can no longer see his expression.

“Wait, what? I do?” the prince asks.

Gladio nods at him and Noct swings back round, looking resigned.

“Something from Noct? For me?”

Prompto has never seen a fifteen year old girl look so happy in his life and something hot and unfamiliar starts to make itself known in the pit of Prompto’s stomach.

Noct sighs. He brings the flowers out from behind his back. “Here.”

Iris gasps - Prompto thinks she sounds so fucking dumb - and takes the flowers. Almost squealing with delight she says, “It’s beautiful. I love it Noct. You’re so sweet.”

Grinning she darts forward to press a quick kiss to the princes cheek and only Talcott residing in his lap keeps Prompto from standing and striding out of the house as the hot feeling in his stomach explodes into an angry writhing mess.

He’s _jealous._

It’s so dumb. It’s completely unfounded. Noct wasn’t _really_ giving Iris flowers like that, there’s no way. The whole thing was clearly orchestrated by Gladio as a nice gesture for his kid sister. But even so.

As Iris flits off somewhere to get water for the flowers Gladio and Noctis approach where he’s sat and he just catches Noct saying, “Yeah. All’s well that ends well I guess.”

“Hey, buddy,” Prompto says to Talcott, “Why don’t you go help Ignis and Aunt Monica with dinner and then afterwards we can take some actual pics, okay?”

“Oh yeah, thank you,” Talcott says energetically, hopping down from his lap and all but running towards the kitchen.

Prompto stands and his chair scrapes back noisily, both Gladio and Noct stare at him funny.

“You okay, kid?” Gladio asks.

“Not a kid,” Prompto bites out, he reaches blindly for Noct’s wrist, “Come with me,” he demands.

“It’s getting dark,” Gladio says seriously even as Noctis replies, “Sure.”

Noct turns to his shield, “It’s too well lit around here for daemons.”

“We’re just going to the lighthouse,” Prompto says as evenly as he can.

“I should come too,” Gladio argues.

Prompto’s pretty sure his grip on Noct’s wrist must be painful at this point but he cannot make himself let go.

“Don’t baby me,” Noct snaps and Gladio rolls his eyes and lifts his hands in defeat.

“Just be back before dinner,” Gladio warns them.

Prompto’s already tugging Noctis towards the door. It’s windy as ever, making it chilly, but once they get inside they’ll be fine.

“Are you okay?” Noct asks pulling his wrist free to instead just hold his hand.

“Uh huh,” Prompto says flatly.

“Prom,” Noctis says, sounding concerned.

Prompto drags them up the hill so fast Noct has to basically jog to keep stride and doesn’t hesitate until they reach the actual lighthouse where checks to see if Cid is around. He’s not, which means he’s either in the house or downstairs.

“Are we going up?” Noctis says confusedly.

Prompto shakes his head and pulls Noct round the back of the lift so they won’t be immediately visible to anyone approaching or coming up from downstairs.

“Prom,” Noct says again, more firmly this time.

Prompto shuts him up by hooking both arms over his shoulders and mashing their mouths together.

Noctis grips his waist, kissing him back effortlessly. After a minute he turns the kisses slower, even though Prompto’s pulse is still racing uncomfortably and works a hand under Prompto’s clothes to stroke the skin of his back gently.

“You _are_ ,” Noctis murmurs sounding amazed, “You’re jealous.”

“Can’t help it,” Prompto admits.

“I can’t believe it,” Noctis says, “You little hypocrite, you have nothing to be jealous of, unlike me.”

“What are you _talking_ about?”

Noct rolls his eyes, reaching down to teasingly squeeze Prompto’s butt.

“Cindy,” Noct gripes, “Aranea. I don’t even care that your bi, honest, it just sucked listening to you talk about other people.”

Prompto blanches, “Everyone wants you though,” he stutters out.

“Fuck everyone else,” Noctis promises, “I just want you.”

“Same,” Prompto says, “I swear. Noct, I’m totally gay, I promise. I don’t like girls, not at all.”

Noctis snorts. “I really don’t mind, Prom, I like you no matter what.”

Prompto laughs, “I was lying, so nobody could tell what I really wanted.” He jostles Noctis in his hold, rubbing their noses together affectionately.

Noctis face suggests that he doesn’t quite believe what Prompto is saying, not really.

Prompto makes a noise almost like a growl, manoeuvring Noct until he’s resting against some stacked crates, gives him one last scorching kiss and then thunks to his knees.

“Oh shit,” Noctis gasps and Prompto undoes his jeans and yanks them roughly down.

Noct isn’t completely hard, probably because of the shock or maybe even the cold, but he thickens satisfyingly fast in Prompto’s hand and by the time he nuzzles against Noctis’ hard shaft the prince has tangled his fingers into Prompto’s hair and whined his name softly.

Prompto kisses the tip, pleased by the salty tang of dampness gathered there, then takes Noct’s head into his mouth and sucks gently.

Noct’s hips jerks and that’s totally cool and satisfying, Prompto can definitely handle it as a few solid inches slide into his mouth but he reaches to steady Noct’s hips anyway. It’ll be more fun for both of them if Prompto keeps control.

Prompto works him slowly but thoroughly, easing Noct into what he can only assume is his first time in someone’s mouth. Prompto’s been keeping his interactions secret - fleeting and casual as they were - for what he thought was good reason but he’s fairly certain Noct’s not been talking because there’s been nothing to talk about.

The moment Prompto nudges him into his throat Noct moans wildly and pulls roughly at his hair. Prompto’s throbbing in his own jeans, leaking all over himself and trying to rut against Noct’s leg. Noct feels so good in his mouth, his throat, and he sounds even better, desperate and needy for _Prompto_. Noctis even _smells_ good, musky without being gross underneath the fresh smell of their laundry detergent and the unique scent Prompto’s never smelt anywhere else and can only assume is his unique magic.

“Shit,” he whines, “Shit, Prom. You’re so good - you feel - _fuck_ , baby, I need you.”

Prompto takes him as deep as he can, almost right to the base, and feels confident with enough practice he can get there. With the way Noct is groaning and panting, trying to control the frantic little movements of his hips Prompto thinks Noct will probably let him.

Prompto loosens his hold on Noct’s hips, dropping one hand to squeeze and rub his thigh reassuringly, and lets Noct move his hips the way he needs to, learning the movements Noctis prefers as he careens towards his end.

Noctis moans again, biting off Prompto’s name as he shivers then tenses. Prompto looks up at him to find Noct’s eyes blazing down at him. Prompto tries to keep eye contact with him, encouraging him on, even as a faint thread of embarrassment crawls up his spine. Noctis grits his teeth and shakes his head minutely, tugging at Prompto’s hair. Prompto moans, shifting to slide Noct just a little deeper even as they urge to cough and splutter almost overwhelms him.

Noctis arches, his head tilting back, as he comes silently in a hot, wet rush into Prompto’s mouth.

Prompto releases him as he starts to soften, nuzzling affectionately into the soft skin of his thighs. When Noctis’ hands go back to being gentle in his hair and the prince clears his throat a little awkwardly Prompto staggers back to his feet, knees aching and desperately trying to ignore the needy throb of his own arousal.

Noctis never fully released his hair so he uses that to pulls Prompto into a grateful kiss - Prompto puts up a token refusal until he remembers Noct’s reaction to him cleaning his release from his hand a few days ago - which Prompto melts into, pushing his hips into Noct’s absentmindedly.

“You’ve done that before,” Noctis accuses.

Prompto hesitates. It’s pointless to deny, unfair really and an obvious lie, though he hopes Noctis doesn’t react the way he might if the roles were reversed.

“Was always thinking about you,” Prompto admits honestly.

Noctis doesn’t respond, just pulls him in for more affectionate kisses and reaches between them to cup Prompto where he’s pressing painfully into the seam of his jeans. Prompto whines and Noctis smiles against his mouth.

“Lets get you sorted, huh?”

Prompto shakes his head, “You don’t have to.”

Noctis tuts and starts to open his jeans. “Just tell me if I do something wrong,” Noctis requests - which seems odd because he hadn’t been worried about jerking him off in Lestallum -

Noct turns him until he’s resting against the crates instead then much more gracefully than Prompto had drops down to his knees.

Oh shit.

“Oh shit,” Prompto moans.

Noctis gives him a tentative lick, lapping at his head for a moment before letting him into his mouth.

The warmth of Noct’s mouth is insane and the tight thread of pleasure Prompto had built up while blowing Noct pulls tight and swings him right up to the edge.

“It’s not gonna take much,” he grits out.

Noct eyes shine with determination and he pushes forward taking Prompto in too deep too quickly. He has to pull off choking and Prompto makes a soothing noise, petting his hair and silently grateful for the reprieve.

“Here,” Prompto says, grasping the base of his own shaft and holding it out to Noct, keeping his hand in place as Noctis comes back to him, stopping him from going to deep.

Noct settles into a comfortable rhythm, applying pressure and teasing him with his tongue. He's a little unsure, just the right side of awkward and something about knowing he's the first one to feel this from Noct pulls his pleasure taught like a bow string.

Prompto bites out a warning just in time but Noct rolls his eyes - actually rolls his eyes while Prompto’s dick is in his mouth - and pins him in place with his hands so he can’t pull away and lets Prompto come with a cry onto his waiting tongue.

Noctis licks his lips thoughtfully as he pulls away, murmuring, “You taste better than me.”

Prompto laughs and tugs Noct back to his feet, burying his face against his throat.

“That’s because I eat my veggies, dude,” Prompto teases.

Noctis scoffs into his hair, “Whatever.”

-

Ignis gathers up all their dirty clothes that night, aiming to do a few loads over the next couple days, while they have the down time. Prompto and Noct had changed hastily when they got back from the lighthouse, both sticky with sweat and _stuff_. He’d thought no one had really noticed but as Ignis separates things into piles he idly remarks, “We’re producing rather more laundry than normal.”

Prompto’s helping Talcott take pictures of willing model Iris and he’s glad the little guys holding his camera as he assuredly would have dropped the thing.

Noct catches his eye from where he’s lounging on the bed and grins.

\- - -

It’s hard to get much more time alone while they’re at Cape Caem.

Talcott, understandably, wants to spend as much time with them as possible and Prompto spends almost an entire afternoon with him on their first full day playing ball games with him on the limited flat ground that the area affords. Gladio joins them for a good while, and even Ignis makes a little time for a few rounds of catch.

Noctis spends a chunk of time with Cid and then holes himself away in a room with Monica and Ignis on the phone to Cor talking about royal things that he’s explicitly told not to worry about.

Because being told not to worry works _every time._

Shortly before Talcott’s bedtime Prompto stands at the stove whisking cocoa powder and sugar into a pan of simmering milk. When he spots what Prompto is doing Ignis vanishes and reappears a minute later with a bag of miniature marshmallows.

“Don’t tell His Highness you got them from me,” Ignis asks with a laugh.

Prompto promises not to.

“You want some?” he asks Ignis. When the adviser hesitates he adds, “I can stir some coffee into yours _or_ you can hit up Gladio for a shot of whiskey.”

“Ah, the latter I think,” he says winking playfully, “As I’m not driving tomorrow.”

Prompto pours the cocoa into seven mugs, leaving space in the top of three for a shot of whiskey and then adding a reasonable mount of marshmallows to the other four.

“Can you hit up the whiskey station and deliver one to Cid? He’s sat out on the porch with Dustin - I’ll run delivery to the kids.”

“Certainly,” Ignis says, easily picking up all three mugs, “You’ll find Noct upstairs, I think he’s had enough of company for the day. Yours excluded, of course.”

Prompto smiles at him and grabs two mugs for Talcott and Iris, receiving a hug of thanks and goodnight from the young Hester, then grabs the last two from the kitchen and trots upstairs to find his - his Noctis.

Noct is sprawled across the couch when he gently kicks the door open and he looks up annoyed at the disruption. His expression clears though, when he spots Prompto, something like interest crossing his face as he eyes the mugs.

“Is that Iggy’s cocoa?”

“Uh no, it’s mine actually,” Prompto admits awkwardly.

Noctis sits up quick and holds out his hands. Smiling but a bit nervous that he’s about to be directly compared to Ignis Prompto passes one over. Taking his own hasty sip just to double check he's reassured of its deliciousness and relaxing a little he takes a seat next to the prince.

Noct takes a sip too, eyes dropping in delight, going in quickly for seconds.

“Iggy only lets me have marshmallows when I’m sick,” Noctis admits.

“So you like me for my sugar, huh?” Prompto teases.

“There’s a euphemism in there somewhere,” Noctis muses.

“Well duh, I’m _super sweet_ ,” Prompto deadpans.

Noctis hooks his free arm around his waist and scoots them closer together.

“There it is,” he murmurs into Prompto’s ear before dropping a kiss there.

Prompto twists his head to kiss him properly, it’s warm and sweet, chocolatey and just a little sticky. It’s a soothing balm on the worry he’s carried around all afternoon. Prompto doesn’t ask about Noct’s talk earlier, if he wants Prompto to know about it he’ll tell him.

“Missed you,” Noctis says.

Prompto sips his cocoa again and admits, “Me too.”

They finish their cocoa together, talking about inconsequential things. When they’re done Noct squeezes him about the waist and then grabs for his hand to press their palms together.

“I wish we could get some time alone together,” Noct says.

Prompto looks around the empty room pointedly and Noct snorts.

“You know what I mean,” Noct chides, “Actually alone with like -”

“A bed?” Prompto offers.

Noct flushes adorably.

Prompto leans in grinning to kiss him, when he pulls back Noct’s flush has darkened along with his eyes.

“That does sound great,” Noct admits, “But no pressure. Whatever you want.”

“Dude,” Prompto says, “You can pressure the shit out of me.”

Noctis shakes his head smiling.

“For real,” Prompto says, “Whenever you want to, I’m ready. Lets sneak out to the Regalia right now.”

Noct laughs.

“The forest floor,” Prompto suggests, “Top of the lighthouse. Lock the door and bend me over this couch -”

Noctis jams their mouths together, nipping roughly at his bottom lip in punishment.

“You’re gonna fucking kill me,” Noctis complains.

\- - -

Cid says he’ll need a while to fix up the boat but he should have it done within a week.

That said they spend a second day at Cape Caem, Noctis catches up on sleep - Prompto managing to sneak up to spoon him for an hour or so - while Ignis tends to the garden with Iris and Dustin. Gladio and Prompto join Monica for one of Talcott’s training sessions and they wow the kid with a couple combo moves, one of which involves Gladio essentially launching Prompto into the air and Talcott doesn’t stop begging until Gladio does something similar, though much safer, with him too.

Monica cooks them up a feast of seafood for their last night, shooing Ignis impatiently out of the kitchen, and they stay up pretty late just talking and joking, playing games like a jumbled, mismatch of a wonderful family. Prompto’s never really had anything like this before.

They sleep in the next morning, not even bothering to pack up until Noctis crawls out of bed some time after ten o'clock.

After an early lunch they hit the road, heading towards Hammerhead and Cindy with strict instruction from Cid to check in on her and make sure she’s looking after herself.

Dusk descends on them earlier than they’d anticipated and Gladio pulls out the map to find the nearest haven and in the end they pull over a mile or so outside Hammerhead to make camp.

Noct heads off to find some additional dry firewood and when Prompto asks what he should do to help Gladio just tells him he might as well help Noctis so he follows behind him dutifully. They separate to cover more ground and soon Prompto has small pile gathered while he bends down next to a wide tree to break up a larger branch.

It shouldn’t surprise him when Noct’s arms wrap around him from behind but it does and he lets out an embarrassing squeak into the evening air.

Noctis laughs into his shoulder and loosens his hold enough so Prompto can twist to face him.

“Jerk,” Prompto mutters. He glances at his wood pile and sees that it’s almost doubled in size with Noct’s additions so he give in to the impulse to kiss him.

Noctis walks them back a few paces until Prompto’s backed into the tree and Prompto simply twists his arms around Noct’s shoulders to hold him close. Neither of them try for anything other than the deep press of mouths and gently groping hands, it’s just nice to reconnect like this at the end of the day.

There’s not really anything for them to worry about either, it’s not quite dark enough for daemons and its too close to the haven besides. There’s no sign of critters or creatures and they really do have the chance to indulge without the need to constantly look over their shoulders.

So absorbed in Noctis does Prompto become that he doesn’t notice the approaching footsteps until its too late. He’s only just gotten his palms onto Noct’s chest but made no headway in pushing him away when -

“Found ‘em, Iggy,” Gladio gruffs out.

Noctis pulls away reluctantly as more footsteps approach, groaning in frustration he just buries his face into Prompto’s neck.

“I should have realised they’d be like this,” Ignis muses, “Oversight on my part.”

“ _Noct_ ,” Prompto hisses shoving gently at his shoulders. With a sigh Noctis pulls away but as he turns to face the other part of his retinue the prince takes his hand.

“You owe me twenty gil, Gladio,” Ignis says all matter of fact.

Gladio groans, “Yeah, yeah.”

Noctis’ mouth works silently - stunned, Prompto thinks, which he totally gets - before he turns to pin his Shield with an incredulous look.

“You bet _against_ Iggy?”

Gladio shrugs, “Fell for blondie’s ‘I love Cindy’ act didn’t I. Thought Ignis was making shit up.”

“Aren’t you mad?” Prompto blurts. Noctis squeezes his hand.

Both Ignis and Gladio shake their heads.

“I trust the two of you enough to know you’ll be able to balance this with your necessary duties,” Ignis says seriously. This time Prompto squeezes _Noct’s_ hand.

Somehow Ignis’ words work both as a blessing and a warning, a reminder of what things may be on the horizon but permission to find happiness in this where they can.

And somehow this conversation is enough. Wordlessly they turn to head back to camp but Gladio hangs back enough so that he and Noct pass him, reaching up to put his hand on Prompto’s shoulder as he passes and pull him to a stop.

“What’s up?”

Noctis looks back when his arm is pulled taught, dropping Prompto’s hand with a soft smile when he notices what’s happening.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Gladio says easily.

“What for?” Prompto says, confused as hell and scrunching his face up to think what Gladio could have possibly done to him.

Interrupted him and Noctis maybe? Though he hadn’t seemed sorry for that. If anything he’d seemed oddly pleased.

“If anything that I’d done made you feel like you couldn’t be honest about - you know, yourself.”

Prompto blinks at him, a little dazed. Gladio’s gruff and a little rough round the edges, sure, but he’s always been kind, teasing in a brotherly way. Prompto’s never been afraid to be honest about anything with him. Anything but _this_ of course, but not for the reasons Gladio seems to think.

“I didn’t think you’d care I was _gay_ ,” Prompto assures him, “I just thought you’d care that I was - that I had feeling for Noct.”

“Caring about Noct like that, the way we all do, it makes us better at our jobs,” Gladio says thoughtfully, “I used to think it was a liability, getting close with Iggy, being more than just a Shield for Noct but I was wrong. The tighter our bonds are the better we are.”

“You don’t think I’m, like, a distraction?”

Gladio laughs and claps him warmly on the back, “You’ve been distracting him for years. A least now he’s less grumpy about it.”

\- - -

Cindy greets them enthusiastically when they pull into Hammerhead, overjoyed with the supercharger they pass over.

Prompto drifts off with a supply list while Noctis and Ignis talk to her about installation not wanting to hang about give Noct any false ideas about what he really wants. When he comes back out, armiger fully replenished with potions and elixirs but their wallet severely diminished, Noctis is feeding coins into the Rent-A-Bird by the road.

“We heading out somewhere?” Prompto asks.

“Cindy heard rumour of some parts for the Regalia that will make the headlights bright enough to repel daemons,” Ignis explains.

“Woah - that’d be so useful,” Prompto murmurs.

“Indeed. Did you get everything on the list?”

Prompto nods and quickly digs into his pocket to pass over the small amount of gil he’d received back in change. Ignis takes it and slips it back into his wallet.

“I believe we might need them,” Ignis says gravely.

“Oh no,” Prompto moans.

“Sorry, Prom,” Noctis says, “We’re going underground again.”

Prompro whines, forcing it into over dramatics and Gladio laughs at him.

“At least you get to spend some time on Chocobo back first,” Gladio assure him.

-

Crestholm Channels - as this festering, stinky pit of hell is allegedly known - is Prompto’s least favourite place on Eos. And that includes the cave system where he was dragged away from his friends by a woman faced snake daemon and dangled upside down long enough for him to be mostly unconscious when he hit the ground.

Noctis had warped in to save him that time, but there’s not much Noctis can do in here to save them from rushing currents of knee high water and terrifying painful drops into pitch darkness. They bumble into the headlights almost by accident when they’re looping back around the maze like tunnels in search of a final switch. There’s a monster in here and Noctis is determined to exterminate it, but first they’ve got to open the massive door keeping it hidden.

“What if there’s a Royal Arm down there,” Noctis says when Ignis wonders if they might be best heading back to the surface now they’ve collected their quarry.

It’s a pretty fair argument, to be honest. So far they’d found a tomb right at the top of Ravatogh and in the depth of the more spooky than necessary Malmalam Thicket. Prompto cannot say with any level of true confidence that they definitely would _not_ have one hidden here too.

“It’s worth a look,” Gladio says, “And we can always retreat if its something we can’t handle.”

“We took out two red giants at once the other day,” Prompto reminds him, “We can probably handle whatever is down there.”

They _can_ handle what’s down there, but it’s a markedly unpleasant experience.

Prompto loses his footing twice in the rushing water getting down there again. The second time is just after Gladio’s reamed him out for complaining and he bashes his knee so hard the pain is only eclipsed by the feel of blood filling his mouth where he bites down on his tongue. Noctis bristles beside him when Gladio yells again but seems to realise what an error leaping to his defence would be; Prompto's not taking Gladio's attitude personally they're all feeling a little on edge.

When he gets to his feet, spitting blood onto the floor, Ignis rushes over to him with a potion in hand.

Prompto also gets stabbed, just clean through with a blade from a Yojimbo, and it takes an _elixir_ to get him back on his feet. Thankfully they find the last switch just after that and they merely have to retread old ground, following the echoing sound of the large door sliding away to reach their target.

By some miracle all four of them escape major burns when the Jormungand unexpectedly tosses fire into the air, landing in molten deadly patches in a wide arc across the floor of the chamber, yet they’re all bruised and bleeding when the monster finally falls.

Ignis administers first aid - Noctis first as always - and by the time Prompto’s assured Ignis that the one potion is enough Noctis has wandered away looking around curiously.

There’s a clang that echoes around the chamber as Noct kicks a ladder to test it’s sturdiness.

Noctis swings himself over the edge and starts to descend, Gladio’s shout stops him in his tracks.

“Don’t be _stupid_.”

Noctis climbs back to the top, “What if this leads to a tomb?”

“I’ll go down first,” Gladio stresses, “I’ll call you down if it does.”

“Wait,” Prompto cries jogging over. “You should throw down some magic,” Prompto suggests, “In case there’s something down there.”

“Good idea,” Noct agrees, “Iggy what do you think?”

“Firaga should do it, will also provide us some light. Good thinking Prompto.”

“It happens now and again,” Prompto laughs, glad to be of help for once.

Noctis summons a flask of simmering fire magic and with little ceremony tosses it to the bottom if the pit. The flames lick up the wall, illuminating the depths but no monsters.

“There’s a passage,” Ignis says, “Fingers crossed it’s what we’re after.”

It’s not.

Gladio calls up a negative and once he’s at the top of his ladder he shakes his head.

“Just one of those weird doors we don’t have a key for,” he tells them.

“We asked the Marshall about them,” Ignis explains.

“Cor said he’d never even _heard_ of them,” Noctis finishes, “But that he’d look into it for us.”

They make their way back to the surface in relative silence, all sore and aching despite the potions and exhausted beyond belief. It’s a _relief_ but not a surprise to find the sun shining when they finally climb the exit ladder, one by one. They’ve been at it for a whole day and night.

It’s a struggle to stay on the back of his chocobo but they manage, arriving at Cindy’s way past what should be lunch and delivering the lights with little fanfare. There’s some talk of driving to a motel for a proper rest but even Noctis says no to the idea, not wanting to risk anyone behind the wheel when they’re all so exhausted.

Besides, after all they went through, they’re getting the lights installed. Like, now.

Instead Noctis and Gladio go to restock the depleted supplies once more and they ride back to the last haven they slept at. Ignis has the energy to do little more than pour water into four noodle cups before they crawl into the tent for a well deserved rest.

-

Everyone is still in the tent when Prompto wakes again, it’s dark outside but he’s not sure it’s particularly late in the day.

Only Noctis is still asleep, curled around him from behind as best he can manage from inside his sleeping bag.

“I hate to say it,” Gladio says as Prompto yawns and rubs at his eye, “But you guys are pretty fucking cute.”

Ignis laughs and Prompto grabs for a half empty water bottle to toss at Gladio’s face.

\- - -

The lights are _probably_ worth it.

They drive around for a few days, mopping up daemon hunts that were too dangerous before due to the likelihood of iron and red giants cropping up in the roads in _addition_ to their targets and even heading back into Malmalam Thicket when they hear rumour that Dave’s gone sniffing around where he’s not allowed. The hunter’s fine in the end, thank the gods, and it puts them well situated for Prompto to photograph one of the bases for Vyv and them to head back to Lestallum to turn the pictures in for a boat load of cash and get a well earned rest.

A proper one.

Ignis and Gladio have been really good about whatever is going on between Noctis and Prompto. Neither of them are particularly fond of kissing in front of their friends but the older two are pretty good about looking the other way while they say good morning and ignoring the way they curl up close at night; Noct comes up with the grand idea to zip their sleeping bags together and it’s one of his finest plans _ever_. On their third morning at a campsite Ignis and Gladio go for a walk and allow them a little alone time in the tent but apart from re-familiarising themselves with each others mouths they don’t do much. The threat of being discovered is more tantalising when it’s _not_ your best friends.

Gladio leaves the front desk of the Leville with three keys in his hand and a grin.

He tosses one at Noct who catches it just before it smacks him in the face and flips it over to reveal _307_. That is _not_ their usual room.

“We’re all getting a special treat tonight,” Gladio explains, “Me and Iggy are getting our own beds and you two love birds can have your own room.”

“Iggy and I,” Ignis corrects absently as Prompto goes bright red all the way up to his ears, “Noctis I want to speak with you for a moment if you don’t mind.”

Noctis shrugs, a little pink in the face himself and passes the key to Prompto, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Prompto nods, leaning into his side briefly before turning to climb the stairs with Gladio.

“You’re just across the hall,” Gladio says in a teasing voice, “So try to keep it down.”

Prompto punches him in the shoulder. Which, _ouch_ , is as stupid an idea as ever.

The room is smaller than normal, which makes sense because it only has one bed in it and Prompto happily kicks off his boots and plops down onto the bed. He wants to go have a shower, especially if he and Noct are going to do what he thinks they might be he doesn’t want to be in there when Noct gets back in case he just barges in…

Maybe Prompto should just go for it. Just leave his wristband on and hop in the shower, Noct will probably join him -

There’s a rapid fast knock on the door and Prompto jumps up to pull it open. Noct darts in like he’s being followed and slams the door, he’s red in the face clutching a paper bag in his fist so hard his knuckles have gone white.

“Are you okay?”

Noctis gives a shaky nod before collapsing back onto the bed, legs hanging over the side so his boots are on the floor and flings an arm over his face to cover his eyes.

“Noct?” Prompto murmurs, crawling onto the double beside him, keeping on his knees but brushing a comforting hand across his chest.

“Iggy he - I can’t believe he -” Noctis mumbles out.

Noctis turns the paper bag over and shakes it until a few items spill onto the bed. Prompto goes red so fast its almost painful when he spies two small bottles of lube and the packet of condoms.

“Oh gods,” he whines collapsing onto the bed and burrowing his face into Noct’s neck draping his arm over his firm stomach. Prompto butterflies kisses across Noct’s tense throat then says, “Sorry.”

“ _I’m_ sorry,” Noctis said, “He just assumed -”

“Rightly, I’m sure,” Prompto says with a laugh.

“Prom,” Noctis says sternly and he uncovers his face, “We don’t have to do anything.”

“I want to,” Prompto says simply, honestly, “Don’t you.”

“Of course I do,” Noct sighs. He kisses Prompto’s hair and then admits, “I’m nervous.”

“Me too,” Prompto assures him, “Let’s just - just see how we go okay. We use the condoms, we don’t use the condoms. No pressure.”

Noctis pushes himself up on one arm and looks down at him with a soft smile.

“Can we have a shower? Together?”

Prompto swallows around the nervousness the idea sparks and says, “Sure.”

Noct says nothing when Prompto strips off everything but his wristband, doesn’t complain about him getting the leather wet or ask why, just soaps up his back and kneads at his thighs under the hot stream of water until they're control dissolves into a slippery make out session. When they’re both pulsing and hard, pressed together between their stomachs Noct switches off the water and grabs two towels from the hook, securing Prompto’s around his waist before attending to his own.

Prompto tries to shake as much water off his wristband into the sink as possible - a subtly as he can - but suddenly Noct appears just behind him to press a kiss into his temple. Silently he holds up a plain back sweatband for Prompto to take and then departs the room silently still clad only in his towel. With a rush of gratitude and affection Prompto switches the bands over and then hurries into the bedroom.

Noctis has dropped his towel and pushed down the covers on the bed so he’s completely exposed where he’s propped up against the headboard. Prompto follows suit crawling into the bed and straight onto Noctis lap. Noctis wraps around him immediately and pulls him into a firm wet kiss.

They don’t really discuss much after that, just kiss and touch, moaning and murmuring to each other tangled up in the bed.

The lack of words doesn’t bother Prompto, he likes going with his gut, it’s what got him here in the first place but Noctis seems to have sudden second thoughts at the most inopportune moments; like when Prompto’s belly down and writhing on the bed, part way to being stretched open.

Noctis pulls back fairly abruptly and Prompto whines as Noct’s slippery fingers slide free from his ass.

“Is this okay?” Noct asks breathlessly.

“Noct,” Prompto complains, “Probably should have asked _before_ you were about to get your third finger in. Which, you should totally do by the way, like thirty seconds ago.”

Noctis manages a laugh and he bends until he can kiss once, twice into the roundness of Prompto’s bottom. Prompto wiggles his hips in what he hopes is an enticing way and it must work because Noct’s fingers return to him, not slipping inside like he really wants but circling and teasing the entrance.

“I just _meant_ ,” Noctis says, “We didn’t have to do it this way. If you wanted to - I could - we could switch.”

“You can have a turn next time,” Prompto says, “But if you don’t get either your fingers or you cock inside me in the next -”

Prompto breaks off in a startled moan as Noct slides two fingers back inside him, rubbing against him experimentally and pulling his fingers gently apart to stretch him. Prompto hears the cap of the lube and then Noctis retreats only to press back against him with another, cooler, finger. Prompto arches his hips to make the angle better, panting and squirming as it breaches him. Noctis kisses across his shoulders, moaning softly at the feel of him.

Noctis thrusts his fingers in and out slowly a few times, bumping a little haphazardly against Prompto prostate making him cry out. After a few more minutes in which Noct seems in no hurry to move things along Prompto loses his patience.

“Noct,” he snaps, “I swear on Shiva’s tits if you don’t…”

Prompto trails off moaning and drooling into his folded arms and Noct rubs against his sweet spot relentlessly before slipping his fingers free. Prompto sucks in a shaky breath.

“Can we do it - will you roll over?” Noctis asks.

Noctis gives him an inch of space and Prompto rolls over a little gracelessly. His cock is flushed and leaking, rock hard against his belly. It’s not had a whole lot of attention really, just the friction Prompto’s been able to provide writhing into the mattress. 

Noct moans softly at the sight of him and then leans in to give him a wild bruising kiss and take a loose hold of Prompto’s erection awarding him with a few almost _fond_ pumps.

“Noct,” he moans again.

Noctis pulls back, reaching blindly for the condoms and retrieves one. He tears into it with his teeth and then moves up onto his knees between Prompto’s thighs to slide it on. Noct takes some time to apply a little more lube once he’s covered and shifts closer immediately when Prompto tugs on his hips.

The prince braces himself on one arm, lowering down until their bodies are touching nearly everywhere and uses the other to line himself up at Prompto’s entrance.

Prompto sucks in a shaky breath as he’s breached.

He’s never done _this_ before. Not exactly. He’s used his own fingers and back in Insomnia he’s had a couple toys but he’d never gone all the way with another person, keeping his interactions to just hands and mouths. He knows Noctis hasn’t done it either and he’s so _so_ glad he waited.

Noctis drops his forehead onto Prompto’s as he slowly inches his way deeper with tentative trembling thrusts and Prompto moves one of his legs up to Noct’s waist to ease the way. The move does _something_ and Prompto keens, his head snapping back as Noct slides almost all the way him stretching him deliciously.

Noctis hand touches his jaw, tilting his head back so they can kiss as he presses them flush together.

“Okay?” Noctis asks gently, nipping his bottom lip.

Prompto nods and squeezes Noct’s hip, looping his other arm around his shoulder to anchor him close.

“Yeah. Fuck. You can move - _please_.”

And Noctis moves.

It takes him maybe a dozen thrusts to find his rhythm but he does and it has Prompto arching and crying out underneath him feeling ready to explode almost immediately. Noctis groans a wonderful _tortured_ sound as the slap of their skin echoes around the room until he’s forced to squeeze his eyes closed and drop onto his forearm to keep his trembling arm from collapsing.

“You feels so good,” Noctis tells him, “So hot - tight. You have no idea.”

“You’re amazing,” Prompto pants back, “I’m close, please you’re - _don’t_ stop.”

Noctis trails the hand from near his face down his torso until he takes a firm hold of Prompto cock pumping it confidently using the moisture dripping from the tip to ease the way.

Prompto cries out, his other leg shifting to bracket Noct’s waist too and he has to bury his face in Noctis’ neck to keep from making too much noise. Noctis shudders above him, his rhythm faltering and thrusts turning into haphazard movements inside him.

But it doesn’t matter, Prompto’s already gone, bruising his fingertips into Noctis' flesh and sobbing with relief as warm wetness splatters onto his torso.

Noctis drops him as soon as he’s completely finished so he can brace himself with both arms and rut harshly into Prompto’s body. He buries his own noise of relief into Prompto’s shoulder, biting down and grunting as he pumps out his release.

Noctis kisses across his chest and Prompto runs his fingers through his soft hair until they’ve caught their breath enough to separate. Noctis pulls away completely, giving him an affection filled kiss before disappearing into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. He even brings back a warm damp cloth and wipes Prompto clean carefully in a gesture that makes Prompto feel oddly emotional.

Once Noctis is back in the bed Prompto all but tackles him, wrapping his limbs all about him and squeezing him tight. Noctis laughs gently at his antics, disentangling one leg enough to drag the blankest up high enough to reach with a hand and pull them on top of them burying them in comforting darkness.

“I’m so glad I’m here,” Prompto says softly. Just a mere fraction of how he truly feels.

“Me too,” Noct whispers into his hair.

\- - -

They don’t wake up in the morning until Ignis raps loudly on their bedroom door.

Cid calls while they're eating breakfast to let them know the boat is ready and they spend the rest of the day in the car heading back to Cape Caem.

-

After dinner Prompto tries to help with the washing up but Noctis takes his hand and pulls him in the opposite direction. Ignis just gives him a smile that’s a little on the sad side and sends them on their way.

They amble up the hill towards the lighthouse, intertwined hands swinging between them.

Noctis pulls him into the lift and they ride up to the top in companionable quiet. Prompto walks the circumference of the platform once before sitting down, dangling his feet over the edge and resting his arms on the railing. Noct slides in behind him, legs bracketing his and arms warm about his waist. Noct nuzzles in between his shoulder blades.

“Prom?” Noctis says after a full two minutes of silence have elapsed.

Prompto tilts his head back and Noct hooks his onto Prompto’s shoulder pressing their cheeks together.

“Yeah?”

“Before we get to Altissia - I just wanted to say -” Noct cuts himself off with a frustrated sigh.

“I know you have to get married,” Prompto says, “But I also know that I wanna stay with you. Like, forever.”

“I want that, too,” Noctis says quickly, “I just don’t want you to get hurt and leave.”

“Will Lady Lunafreya mind? If you have someone else?”

Noct shakes his head, “I don’t think so. She knows we’re not _compatible_ , as it were.”

“Then I’m not going anywhere.”

“Prom -” Noctis starts, a pleading tone in his voice.

“I mean it,” Prompto interrupts firmly, “I’m staying with you. Right by your side until you send me away yourself. And maybe not even then.”

Noctis laughs a little and squeezes him so tight it almost hurts.

Prompto feels the words bubble up in his throat. _I love you I love you I love you._ He doesn’t say them, he _can’t_ , it’s too much in the here and now, in this moment where Noctis seems to think there’s a possibility of them being separated.

“Do you promise?”

“I promise,” Prompto says, “Ever at your side.”

Noctis kisses his hair and they stay at the top of the lighthouse for almost two more hours, only heading inside when Gladio comes to get them, Talcott sat high on his shoulders.

In the morning Cid drives the boat to Altissia and Prompto takes pictures over the water praying to all six Gods he gets to keep his promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THEY LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER
> 
> Or I write an angst filled sequal. Which is what really happens. I've not written it yet but I've mapped it all out I just have a couple other things I want to finish up first so it won't be like next week but SOON. I promise.

**Author's Note:**

> I had some trouble posting/editing this so if you read it before I got all the style stuff back in I'm sorry! I have real trouble importing in from Scrivener with all that stuff still in place, any tips are much appreciated.


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